Investment Return Calculator
Project annual contributions and a hypothetical return with an explicit asset charge. Separate cash invested, net gain, fees deducted and ending-value fee drag.
An annual planning illustration before tax and inflation. Not realized performance, a forecast or personalized financial advice.
Projected ending value
Enter all five numeric assumptions or load the verified two-year example.
80 significant decimal digits internally; half-even display at 2 places. Tiny nonzero amounts are marked. Values stay in browser memory. No per-year cent rounding, withdrawals, variable returns, taxes, inflation, FX or inverse solving.
Check the gross return and fee basis
Do not deduct the same fees twice from an already-net return. This annual post-growth asset charge is a disclosed hypothetical schedule, not actual fund expense accrual.
Read the complete investment return guideFormula and methodology
g = 1 + R/100; f = F/100; q = g(1−f)
Beginning: Bnext = (B + C)q. End: Bnext = Bq + C.
At zero years: ending = P, no recurring contribution or charge.
Set g=1+R/100, f=F/100 and q=g(1−f). Beginning timing adds C, applies gross growth, then deducts f times the post-growth balance. End timing applies growth and the charge before adding C. Repeat for Y whole years without yearly cent rounding. Net annual assumption is 100(q−1), not simply R−F and not an inferred realized return. Zero years leaves P with no recurring contribution or fee.
Verified worked examples
For starting capital 1,000, annual end contribution 100, gross return 10%, annual charge 1% and two years: year 1 ends at 1,189 after an 11 charge; year 2 ends at 1,394.821 after a 13.079 charge. Cash invested is 1,200, net gain 194.821, cash fees 24.079 and the no-charge comparison 1,420. Fee drag is 25.179, including a 1.1 growth component. Beginning contributions instead give 1,413.4131. These hypothetical rates are not forecasts.
Inputs and interpretation
Enter capital, annual contribution, effective annual gross return, annual asset charge (explicit 0 if absent) and whole years. Choose contribution timing, inspect the annual timeline and compare invested cash with gain. The annual ledger shows ten years per page, with all years available locally. If your quoted return is already net of the same cost, do not deduct it again; use 0 for that additional charge or obtain a consistent gross assumption.
Assumptions and limitations
Returns and the percentage charge are constant. Annual growth precedes the illustrative year-end charge; an end contribution is added afterward and is not charged that year. Beginning contributions are exposed to that year’s return and charge. There are exactly Y nonzero contributions when Y is positive and C is nonzero; zero years includes none. This schedule is not actual fund expense accrual or a product billing rule.
Supported domain and common mistakes
P and C are each 0 through 10^15; R must be greater than −100% and at most 1000%; F is 0% through strictly below 100%; Y is a whole number 0–100. Decimal inputs allow 48 characters and 12 fractional places. Any monetary output or no-charge comparison beyond 10^30 is rejected without clipping. No fractional years, monthly contributions, annual-rate conversion, withdrawals, varying returns, transaction/flat/performance fees, tax, inflation, FX or inverse solving.
Do not treat contributions as investment gain, use monthly contributions in an annual field, subtract fees twice from a net return, or call the model’s net annual assumption a measured CAGR/IRR. Asset-based charges can apply even in a losing year. A larger ending balance may simply reflect more contributions. Fee deductions and ending-value fee drag are different measures and do not always differ by positive growth.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a projection or my actual investment return?
What happens if my return is already after fees?
When is the annual asset charge taken?
Why is 10% gross with a 1% charge not 9% net?
Why can the growth component of fee drag be negative?
Does zero years include a beginning contribution?
Does the market selector apply taxes or exchange rates?
Sources and educational scope
Educational scenario arithmetic only, not personalized investment advice, a fund quotation, a promised return or a professional portfolio-performance calculation. Actual returns fluctuate and actual costs, tax, inflation, agreement terms and cash-flow dates can materially change results. The chosen annual fee schedule is illustrative; verify the basis of any external quote.
Reviewed . AI-assisted content under operator editorial responsibility; no independent expert financial review is claimed.