See what your money could become.
Project long-term investment growth, account for regular contributions, fees and inflation, or work backwards from a future investment goal.
Project your investment
Estimate how your investment could grow over time.
Your projection will appear here
Enter your assumptions and calculate to see your projected balance, money invested, potential growth and year-by-year chart.
This calculator models a constant annual return for illustration. Real investment returns vary and investments can rise or fall in value. Tax, brokerage and other costs are not included unless represented by the annual investment fee you enter.
What does an investment calculator tell you?
An investment calculator turns a set of assumptions into a projection. It can show how a starting balance and regular contributions may grow, how much you may need to contribute toward a target, and how inflation can change the spending power of a future balance.
Future value
Separate the money you put in from the growth produced by the return assumption over time.
Goal contribution
Start with a target balance and estimate the regular amount required to work toward it under the assumptions entered.
Real purchasing power
Compare the future-dollar balance with an inflation-adjusted estimate expressed in today's purchasing power.
How investment growth is calculated
The projection has two main parts: your starting investment compounds over the full period, while each regular contribution compounds from the time it is added. CalcNest also lets you model percentage-based annual fees before converting the resulting effective annual growth rate into the equivalent rate for your contribution frequency.
A simplified future-value formula
For a single lump sum with no additional contributions, future value can be represented as the starting amount multiplied by one plus the periodic growth rate, raised to the number of periods. With regular contributions, an annuity component is added because each contribution has a different amount of time to compound.
The calculator uses a constant return assumption for modelling. Real market returns do not arrive smoothly: they can vary significantly from year to year and can be negative.
r = periodic rate · n = number of periods
Worked example: 10,000 plus 500 each month
Using the same calculation convention as the CalcNest calculator above.
The figures are currency-neutral: they work the same whether the amounts represent dollars, pounds, euros or another currency. CalcNest treats 7% as an effective annual return and converts it to the equivalent monthly rate before applying monthly contributions. A calculator that simply divides 7% by 12 is using a different rate convention and can therefore show a different result.
What investment return should you enter?
There is no single return that is appropriate for every investment or investor. The percentage you enter is a scenario assumption, not a forecast. Different assets have different risks, costs and potential returns, and past performance does not tell you exactly what will happen in the future.
Use a more cautious assumption to see how dependent your goal is on stronger investment performance.
Use the assumption you want to plan around, then compare it with alternatives rather than relying on one projection.
See the upside mathematically, while remembering that higher expected returns can be associated with greater investment risk.
Why investment fees matter over the long term
Fees do more than reduce the balance in the year they are charged. Money paid in fees is also money that is no longer available to participate in future compounding. The effect can become more noticeable as the balance and investment period grow.
The annual fee field is a simplified percentage-based model. Actual products may also have fixed administration charges, brokerage, buy/sell spreads, performance fees or other costs, so check the relevant product information when modelling a real investment.
Future value and today's purchasing power are not the same thing
A future balance is normally a nominal amount — the number of dollars, pounds or other currency units you may have at that future point. Inflation can reduce what those units buy. The Real Value mode discounts the projected future balance by the inflation assumption to estimate its purchasing power in today's money.
Nominal value
The projected balance shown in future currency units before adjusting for changes in purchasing power.
Inflation-adjusted value
An estimate of what that future balance could be worth in today's purchasing-power terms. You can explore inflation separately with the Inflation Calculator.
Four inputs that can materially change your projection
How much you invest
A larger starting amount or regular contribution increases the capital available to compound.
How long you stay invested
More time creates more compounding periods and gives earlier contributions longer to participate in growth.
The return assumption
Small changes in an annual percentage can produce much larger differences over long periods, which is why scenario testing matters.
Fees and inflation
Fees reduce the amount left to compound, while inflation affects the purchasing power of the future balance.
Does contribution timing make a difference?
Yes. A contribution made at the start of a period has one additional period to participate in the modelled return compared with the same contribution made at the end. Over many contributions, that timing difference can affect the final projection.
| Setting | How CalcNest treats it | When it may be useful |
|---|---|---|
| Start of each period | The contribution is added before that period's growth is applied. | Useful when your regular investment is normally made near the beginning of each contribution period. |
| End of each period | The period's growth is applied before the contribution is added. | Useful when contributions are normally made near the end of each period. |
Investment growth is different from savings interest
A savings account usually pays interest according to an account rate and its terms. An investment does not normally deliver a fixed, smooth return each year: its value can rise or fall. The return field in this investment calculator is therefore a modelling assumption rather than a promised rate.
Planning cash savings?
Use the Savings Calculator when you want to model deposits and compound savings interest rather than market investment returns.
Planning an investment?
Use this page to test return scenarios, recurring contributions, fee drag, inflation and future investment goals.
Work backwards from an investment goal
If you know the future amount you want to target, Reach a Goal mode estimates the regular end-of-period contribution required under your return, fee, timeframe and contribution-frequency assumptions. This can turn a large future target into a more useful weekly, fortnightly, monthly or yearly figure.
A target is easier to interpret alongside your wider cash flow. If you need to understand how much room you have for regular investing, use the Budget Calculator. For long-term retirement planning, the Retirement Calculator can put the investment target into a more specific context.
Continue your financial planning
Investment calculator FAQs
How does the investment calculator work?
Is the projected investment value guaranteed?
What annual return should I use?
Does the calculator include investment fees?
Does the investment calculator include inflation?
Does the calculator include tax?
Why can another investment calculator give a different answer?
What is the difference between nominal and real investment value?
Should I use an investment calculator or a savings calculator?
This calculator and supporting content are for general educational and planning purposes. Results are estimates based on the values and assumptions entered, not forecasts or guarantees. Investments can rise or fall in value and you may lose money. Tax, product-specific charges and other costs are not fully modelled. Consider the relevant product information and, where appropriate, professional financial advice before making financial decisions.