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Investment Return (ROI) Calculator

Project the future value of an initial investment plus optional monthly contributions, and see the return it implies.

Free to use No sign-up Runs in your browser

Calculator

Total invested
—
Future value
—

For educational and informational purposes only — not financial, investment or tax advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter.

How the calculation flows

Initial amount Monthly add Annual return % Years
↓
(Final − Invested) ÷ Invested × 100
↓
Projected value + ROI %

The inputs you enter feed a fixed formula to produce the result. Change any input to see how sensitive the outcome is.

Conceptual diagram

Time → Balance → Compounding Simple growth
Illustrative: reinvested returns make the balance bend upward over time, pulling ahead of simple, non-compounded growth. Shape only — not a forecast.

What the ROI calculator does

The Investment Return (ROI) calculator projects how a starting amount plus regular monthly contributions could grow over time at an assumed annual rate of return. It answers a simple but important planning question: if a position grew at some steady rate, what would it be worth, and how much of that is your own money versus growth? It is a way to pressure-test an assumption, not a prediction of any real asset.

How it works

Return on investment expresses your gain as a percentage of what you put in. The calculator grows your initial amount and each monthly contribution at a monthly rate derived from the annual return you enter, then compares the final value to the total you invested.

ROI % = (Final value − Total invested) ÷ Total invested × 100

Because each contribution compounds for the months that remain, money added early does more work than money added near the end — the engine behind every long-horizon plan.

Worked example

Illustrative example — your figures will differ

Start with $1,000, add $100 a month, assume a 12% annual return, and run it for 5 years (the calculator’s default inputs).

  • Total invested: $1,000 + ($100 × 60 months) = $7,000
  • Projected value: about $10,065
  • Growth on top of contributions: about $3,065  →  ROI ≈ +44%
Where the projected ~$10,065 comes from (illustrative)
Invested$7,000
Growth~$3,065
Final value~$10,065

Why the assumed rate matters so much

Small changes in the assumed return compound into large differences over years. The table below keeps the same $1,000 start and $100/month for 5 years and varies only the annual rate.

Annual return Total invested Projected value Growth
4% $7,000 ~$7,860 ~$860
8% $7,000 ~$8,870 ~$1,870
12% $7,000 ~$10,065 ~$3,065
20% $7,000 ~$13,100 ~$6,100

Notice the result is roughly linear in the early years but bends upward as the balance — and therefore the dollars earned each year — grows.

How to use it

  1. Enter a realistic initial investment and a monthly contribution you can actually sustain.
  2. Set an expected annual return. Use a conservative figure; double-digit crypto returns are possible but far from guaranteed.
  3. Choose a time horizon in years.
  4. Read the total invested and future value, then change one input at a time to see how sensitive the outcome is.

Limits to keep in mind

  • It assumes a single, steady rate. Real crypto returns are volatile and can be negative — a flat annual percentage hides large swings.
  • It ignores taxes, trading fees and inflation unless you bake them into the rate yourself.
  • Past performance is not a forecast. Treat the output as one scenario among many, not a target.

Related reading

For education only — not financial, investment or tax advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter.