Investment Return Calculator

An investment return calculator projects how a starting amount and any recurring contributions will grow over time at an assumed annual rate of return. It models the same compound growth that drives stock-market wealth: each year's gains are reinvested and earn returns of their own. Some calculators express the result as a final balance, others as an annualized return (CAGR) so you can compare investments with very different timeframes. Whether you're modeling an index fund, a real-estate deal, or a hypothetical retirement portfolio, this kind of tool turns vague long-term hopes into a concrete number you can plan around.

Enter your initial investment, an optional monthly contribution, the expected annual return, and how long you'll stay invested. The calculator returns the projected end balance, total contributions, and total growth from compounding. Try realistic assumptions: 7% is a common long-run estimate for U.S. stocks before inflation, 4–5% after. Use lower numbers (3–5%) for diversified portfolios that include bonds. Adjust each input one at a time to build intuition: doubling your monthly contribution, adding 10 more years, or accepting one percentage point lower return each move the final balance by tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The final balance is gross — before taxes, fees, and inflation. Subtract roughly 0.3–1% per year for fund expense ratios, 15–25% of gains for capital gains tax depending on your jurisdiction, and 2–3% per year mentally for inflation if you want to think in today's dollars. The split between contributions and growth is the most revealing part: in long horizons, growth from compounding usually dwarfs the actual money you put in. That's the engine of long-term investing. Don't be discouraged by year-to-year volatility — historical averages assume you stay invested through downturns, not sell into them.