Investment growth calculator
See how money can grow when returns compound - your returns earning returns of their own, year after year. Free, no sign-up, education only.
An illustration of how compounding works, not a forecast or advice. It assumes a steady yearly return, but real markets are bumpy and can fall as well as rise - some years will be negative. Past performance doesn't predict the future, and this doesn't account for fees, tax or inflation.
How compounding works
In the first year you earn a return on what you put in. In the second year you earn a return on your money and on last year's return - and it snowballs from there. The longer the timeline, the more of your final pot comes from growth rather than from your own contributions. That's why starting early tends to matter more than the exact rate: time does the heavy lifting.
The flip side: real returns don't arrive in a neat straight line. Good years and bad years average out over long stretches, but the ride is bumpy, and fees and tax quietly eat into the result - which is what the fund fee calculator and the ISA calculator show.