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Investment Growth Calculator

Project how an initial investment plus regular monthly contributions grows over time with compound returns.

Category: money
Use Case: Planning Long-Term Investment Contributions, Comparing Different Contribution Amounts, Visualizing the Power of Compound Growth
Privacy: 100% browser-based

Projected future value

$144,573

Total contributed

$58,000

Interest earned

$86,573

Recommended Settings

Pro Tips

  • Contributions are assumed to happen monthly and compound at the same monthly rate as your investment returns
  • The earlier you start, the more time compounding has to work - extending the time horizon often matters more than increasing the monthly contribution
  • This uses a fixed, steady annual return for simplicity - real markets fluctuate year to year, so treat the result as a long-run estimate, not a guarantee
  • Compare a couple of scenarios with different monthly contributions side by side to see how much extra saving actually moves the outcome

Most Popular

Many people model a 7% annual return, a commonly cited long-run average for a diversified stock portfolio

When to Use This Tool

Planning Long-Term Investment Contributions

Project how a retirement or brokerage account grows with steady monthly contributions.

Comparing Different Contribution Amounts

See how increasing your monthly contribution changes your long-term outcome.

Visualizing the Power of Compound Growth

Understand how much of your final balance comes from contributions versus compound interest.

Setting a Savings Target Timeline

Estimate how many years it takes to reach a specific investment goal.

How It Works

1

Convert your annual return rate into a monthly compounding rate

2

Grow your initial investment forward using standard compound interest over the full time horizon

3

Add the future value of your monthly contributions using the standard future-value-of-an-annuity formula, then combine both totals

100% Private

Files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.

Lightning Fast

Powered by Client-side time-value-of-money calculation for optimal performance on modern browsers.

Open Source

Built with verified, open-source libraries. Fully transparent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this account for fees or taxes?

No, this projects gross growth based only on your inputs. Real-world fees, taxes, and account-specific rules will reduce actual returns, so treat this as an upper-bound estimate.

Why does the interest earned exceed my contributions after many years?

This is the effect of compound growth - especially over long time horizons and higher return rates, the returns earned on both your initial investment and your growing balance of prior contributions can eventually exceed the money you put in yourself.

What return rate should I use?

There's no universally correct number - many long-term planning tools use a range around 5-8% for a diversified stock portfolio, but you should choose an assumption consistent with your own investment strategy and risk tolerance.

Is this financial advice?

No, this is a general-purpose projection tool based on your own assumptions, not personalized financial advice. Consult a financial advisor for guidance specific to your situation.

Is my financial data sent anywhere?

No. All calculations happen locally in your browser.