Future Value Calculator — Investment Growth Online
Calculate the future value of an investment with regular contributions at any interest rate.
How to use this calculator
👉 Fill in the boxes below and your answer appears instantly — no maths needed, we do it all for you! 🎉
In plain English — what does this do?
🌱 When you save money in a bank, the bank gives you a small gift (called interest) for keeping it there. Then next year, you get a gift on your gift too! This tool shows how much your money will grow over time.
A future value calculator projects how much an investment will grow over time, accounting for compound interest and regular contributions. It's useful for retirement planning, college savings, and any goal where you're building wealth through consistent investing.
Future Value
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Total Contributions
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Total Interest
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What is Future Value Calculator — Investment Growth Online?
A future value calculator projects how much an investment will grow over time, accounting for compound interest and regular contributions. It's useful for retirement planning, college savings, and any goal where you're building wealth through consistent investing.
How to use it
- 1️⃣ Enter your starting amount (present value).
- 2️⃣ Enter the expected annual interest rate.
- 3️⃣ Enter the number of years you'll invest.
- 4️⃣ Optionally enter a regular contribution amount and its frequency.
- 5️⃣ Future value, total contributions, and total interest earned are shown instantly.
Formula
💡 See it in action — a real example
❓ Common questions
- Does this use compound interest?
- Yes. Interest compounds at the frequency matching your contribution frequency — monthly contributions use monthly compounding, which is more realistic than annual compounding for most investment accounts.
- What interest rate should I use?
- For long-term stock market investments, 7% is a commonly used real (inflation-adjusted) average. Nominal returns average around 10%. For bonds or savings accounts, use current market rates.
- Why does compound interest grow so fast?
- Because you earn interest on your interest. At 7%, money doubles roughly every 10 years (Rule of 72: 72/rate = doubling time). The longer the timeline, the more dramatic the effect.
- Does this account for inflation?
- No. To see inflation-adjusted growth, subtract the inflation rate from your expected return before entering it. If you expect 9% nominal returns and 3% inflation, use 6% as your real rate.
- What is the difference between future value and net worth?
- Future value projects the growth of a specific investment. Net worth is your total assets minus liabilities. Future value is one input into estimating future net worth, not the whole picture.