Saving & Investing
See how an investment could grow over time.
Estimate how a lump sum and regular investments could grow using an assumed annual return. The calculator also shows how ongoing fees may affect the final value.
Investment Growth Calculator
Model regular investing, assumed returns and ongoing fees.
Your investment projection will appear here.
Compare the money invested with the estimated growth after fees.
How your investment could grow
Illustrative year-by-year projection based on a constant assumed return.
Try changing the assumed return, fees, regular investment or timeframe to see which has the greatest effect.
This is an illustrative projection, not a forecast or guarantee. Real investment returns vary and can be negative. Tax and inflation are not included.
What determines how your investment could grow?
The projection is mainly shaped by the amount invested, any regular contributions, the assumed return, fees and how long the money remains invested.
Starting amount
The amount invested initially provides the base from which future investment growth is calculated.
Regular contributions
Further investments increase the amount of money exposed to future returns over the projection period.
Return, fees and time
The assumed annual return, ongoing fees and investment period can materially change the projected final value.
How investment growth builds over time
The calculator combines the money invested with an assumed net return to illustrate how a balance could develop over a chosen period.
Start with your invested money
Your starting investment provides the initial balance used by the projection.
Add further contributions
Regular investments increase the amount held and the capital available to participate in future returns.
Returns change the balance
The assumed return is applied over time, while the annual fee assumption reduces the projected net return.
Future returns build on the new value
As the projected balance changes, later returns are calculated from the value already accumulated.
Over longer periods, the final value can increasingly reflect both money contributed and returns earned on earlier growth. The projection is illustrative because real investment returns vary over time.
Contributions and investment growth are different parts of the result
A larger projected balance does not mean the whole increase came from investment returns. The result can contain money you invested as well as estimated growth.
Money invested
Your starting amount plus the regular contributions added during the projection.
Estimated net growth
The projected change in value after applying the assumed return and annual fee input.
Estimated final value
The combination of the money invested and the estimated net growth produced by the model.
Investment returns do not arrive in a straight line
A constant annual return is useful for comparing scenarios, but real investments can rise and fall from one period to the next.
Calculator assumption
The model applies the return assumption consistently so the effect of changing one input is easy to see.
Real investing
Actual returns can be positive in some periods and negative in others, rather than following a smooth path.
Why the path matters
Different sequences of gains and losses can create different experiences even when long-term averages look similar.
For more context, see why investment returns change from year to year and what investment volatility means.
Higher assumed returns usually mean greater uncertainty
Changing the expected return can transform the projection, but entering a higher percentage does not make that outcome more likely.
Explore risk vs reward in investing →Higher assumed return
Produces a larger projected final value when the other inputs remain the same.
It is still an assumption
The calculator does not predict which return an investment will actually achieve.
Return and risk are connected
Higher-return expectations generally come with greater uncertainty and the possibility of loss.
If you want to understand the broader concept, What Is Investment Risk? explains the main types of uncertainty without recommending a particular investment.
A projection is not a prediction
The calculator is designed to compare assumptions. It cannot know how markets, fees or future returns will develop.
How fees affect long-term growth
Why past performance does not guarantee future returns
Returns vary
Real investment returns are not constant from year to year and can be negative.
Values can fall
The value of an investment can be lower at points during the journey, including below the amount originally invested.
Fees reduce projected growth
This calculator includes an annual fees input, so changing it lets you see how ongoing charges can affect the illustrated final value.
Past performance is not a forecast
Historical returns can provide context, but they cannot tell you what future returns will be.
Use the result as an illustration for comparing scenarios rather than as an expected or guaranteed future value.
Explore your next question
Choose the question that best matches what you want to understand next.
Go deeper
Continue with the concepts that most directly strengthen your understanding of investment growth.
What Is Investment Growth?
Build the underlying understanding of how investment values can change over time before exploring return, risk and growth assumptions in more detail.
Read the guide →Common questions about investment growth
Short answers to questions that often arise when interpreting an investment growth projection.
What does the Investment Growth Calculator show?
It estimates how a starting investment and regular contributions could grow over time using the annual return, fees, contribution frequency and investment period you enter.
What does investment growth mean?
Investment growth is the change in value produced by investment returns. It is different from money you personally add through starting capital or later contributions.
How is investment growth different from investment return?
Investment growth describes how the value of an investment changes over time, while investment return measures the gain or loss relative to the money invested over a defined period.
Does the calculator assume the same return every year?
Yes. The projection uses a constant annual return assumption so scenarios can be compared clearly. Real investment returns vary and can be negative.
Can investments lose value?
Yes. Investments can rise or fall in value, and there is no guarantee that the amount ultimately received will be higher than the amount invested.
What annual return should I enter?
The return field is an assumption for exploring scenarios rather than a prediction. Comparing several plausible assumptions is generally more informative than treating one percentage as an expected outcome.
Do regular contributions affect investment growth?
Yes. Regular contributions increase the amount invested over time, which can materially change the projected final value and the amount exposed to future returns.
Does the calculator include investment fees?
Yes. The calculator has an annual fees input and shows an estimated fee impact. The default figure is illustrative and can be changed to reflect the scenario you want to explore.
Why does time have such a large effect on the result?
A longer period gives contributions and earlier investment growth more time to influence later values, although real-world returns will not follow the calculator’s smooth projected path.
Is the projected value guaranteed?
No. The result is an illustrative projection based on the assumptions entered. It is not a forecast, guarantee or personalised investment recommendation.