'PPF/PF is not really retirement planning...': Finfluencer slams myth of safe returns in India

Putting money in PPF or Provident Fund might feel safe—but it’s quietly eroding your wealth, warns Wisdom Hatch founder and popular finfluencer Akshat Shrivastava, who argues that real-world inflation far outpaces the returns.

“Investing in PPF/PF is not really retirement planning anymore,” Shrivastava posted on X, calling out what he sees as a dangerous mismatch between perceived and actual inflation faced by urban, middle-class Indians.

While traditional instruments like PPF or PF deliver 8–8.5% returns over 10–15 years, Shrivastava says they fail to keep pace with what he calls “segmental inflation”—the true cost increases experienced by people living in metros, flying regularly, and sending kids to private schools.

“The government tells you inflation is like 5%, but in real terms for your segment, it’s easily 10%,” he wrote. “If you’re growing your money slower than that, it’s not retirement planning—it’s wealth destruction.”

His caution comes even as the Reserve Bank of India revised its inflation outlook downward. 

The RBI now expects FY26 inflation to average just 3.7%, with Q1 projected as low as 2.9%, driven by easing food prices and benign core inflation. In response, the central bank shifted its policy stance to ‘neutral’ and hinted at potential future rate cuts.

But Shrivastava’s message is clear: macroeconomic averages don’t reflect the lived financial reality of India’s urban aspirational class. For them, segmental inflation remains the bigger threat.

His advice is implicit: don’t be lulled by headline inflation figures. If your returns don’t beat your real cost of living, your financial future is shrinking, not growing.