Compound growth means each period’s growth earns growth itself. Over long periods it dominates: $10,000 at 7% grows to almost $77,000 in 30 years without any additions. Raising contributions with your income each year speeds things up further.
How to use the Compound Growth Calculator
- Initial amount
- Annual growth rate
- Term
- Compounding frequency
- Additional deposit
- Deposit frequency
- Deposit timing
- Yearly increase of deposits
Results update as you type, and every field accepts the units shown in its menu.
How it works
Enter the initial amount, growth rate, term and compounding, then any regular additions with their frequency, timing and yearly increase.
Tips
- Use the nominal annual rate and pick the compounding frequency your bank or broker states.
- Small differences in return or fees compound into large differences over decades.
- Run the calculation with a cautious, a central and an optimistic return to see the range of outcomes.
- Past returns do not guarantee future returns – nothing here is investment advice.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Comparing an APR with an APY or effective rate.
- Ignoring inflation, taxes and fees when judging a real return.
- Entering a percentage as a decimal (5 instead of 0.05 is correct here).
Inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Initial amount | Amount in your currency |
| Annual growth rate | In % |
| Term | Units: years, months |
| Compounding frequency | Choose one: Yearly, Semi-annually, Quarterly, Monthly … |
| Additional deposit | Amount in your currency |
| Deposit frequency | Choose one: Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly, Quarterly … |
| Deposit timing | Choose one: End of each period, Beginning of each period |
| Yearly increase of deposits | In % |
What each result means
- Total compound growth = [Final balance] – [Initial amount] – [Total deposits]
- Share of balance from growth = [Total compound growth]÷[Final balance]×100
Example values
How the main result changes when Initial amount changes and everything else stays at the example values above:
| Initial amount | Final balance |
|---|---|
| 5,000 | 124,379.03 |
| 7,500 | 134,475.87 |
| 10,000 | 144,572.72 |
| 12,500 | 154,669.57 |
| 15,000 | 164,766.41 |
| 20,000 | 184,960.11 |
Formula
FV = P × (1 + r ÷ m)^(m × t) + C × [(1 + i)^n − (1 + g)^n] ÷ (i − g) × (1 + i × timing)i = rate per deposit period, n = number of deposits, g = growth of each depositWorked example
Inputs — Initial amount: $10,000; Annual growth rate: 7 %; Term: 20 years; Compounding frequency: Monthly; Additional deposit: $200; Deposit frequency: Monthly; Deposit timing: End of each period; Yearly increase of deposits: 0 %.
Results — Final balance = $144,572.72; Total deposits = $48,000.00; Total compound growth = $86,572.72; Share of balance from growth = 59.88 %.
Frequently asked questions
What is compound growth?
Growth on both the original amount and the growth already earned.
How long does it take to double money?
About 72 ÷ rate years – roughly 10 years at 7%.
Does deposit timing matter?
Deposits at the start of each period earn one more period of growth.
What formula does the Compound Growth Calculator use?
FV = P × (1 + r ÷ m)^(m × t) + C × [(1 + i)^n − (1 + g)^n] ÷ (i − g) × (1 + i × timing).