Investment Growth Calculator
Project investment growth with compound interest and monthly contributions.
Enter starting balance, annual return, and years to see future value.
FV = PV(1+r)^n + PMT × [((1+r)^n - 1) / r]
This is the future value formula with regular contributions, the standard equation for projecting investment growth over time with compound interest.
What each variable means:
- FV – Future Value, the total amount your investment will be worth
- PV – Present Value, your initial lump-sum investment
- r – the periodic interest rate (annual rate divided by 12 for monthly compounding)
- n – total number of compounding periods (years multiplied by 12)
- PMT – your regular monthly contribution
When to use this calculator: Use it to project how your savings or investments will grow over time. It is ideal for retirement planning, education funds, or any long-term savings goal where you make regular contributions.
Practical example: You invest $10,000 today and add $500 per month at 7% annual return for 20 years. Your total contributions would be $130,000, but compound interest grows your balance to approximately $270,000. That means you earned roughly $140,000 in interest alone – more than your contributions.
Tips:
- The stock market has historically returned about 7-10% annually over long periods, but returns are never guaranteed.
- Even small monthly contributions add up dramatically over decades thanks to compounding.
- Starting 5 years earlier can make a bigger difference than contributing more money later.
- The calculator separates your total contributions from interest earned so you can see how much compounding contributed.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
SuperGlobalCalculator is independently built and maintained. See how we build and verify our calculators.