Investment Return Calculator
Calculate total return %, dollar gain, and CAGR from initial value, final value, and years held.
Written by Golam Rabbani, Founder & Lead Engineer
How to use this investment return calculator
- Enter the initial amount you invested.
- Enter the final value of the investment today.
- Enter the number of years held (whole or decimal).
- Optionally enter total extra contributions made after the initial investment.
- Press Calculate to see total return %, dollar gain, and CAGR.
About this investment return calculator
The investment return calculator turns a starting balance, an ending balance, and a time horizon into the two figures investors actually compare: total return and compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Total return tells you the cumulative percentage gain or loss, while CAGR smooths that gain into a single annualised rate that lets you compare investments of different lengths on equal footing.
Worked example: you invested $10,000, added $2,000 in extra contributions over the period, and the account is now worth $15,000 after 5 years. Total invested is $12,000, so total gain is $3,000 and total return is 25.00%. CAGR uses the initial $10,000 only: (15,000 ÷ 10,000)^(1/5) − 1 ≈ 8.45% per year — a more useful number when benchmarking against index returns.
For a loss scenario, suppose you invested $20,000 with no extra contributions and the account is worth $17,500 after 3 years. Total gain is −$2,500 and total return is −12.50%. CAGR is (17,500 ÷ 20,000)^(1/3) − 1 ≈ −4.32% per year, letting you compare that annualised drag against alternative investments. Use it to compare funds, evaluate a rental property, or sanity-check a brokerage statement. All calculation runs in your browser; no figures leave the page.
FAQ
- What is the difference between total return and CAGR?
- Total return is the cumulative percentage gain across the entire period ((Final − Invested) ÷ Invested × 100). CAGR is the constant annual rate that would turn the initial investment into the final value over the same number of years — useful for comparing investments held for different lengths of time.
- Why does CAGR ignore extra contributions?
- CAGR by definition is the geometric growth rate of a single starting amount. Including mid-period contributions would mix in deposits and overstate the underlying return. To account for cash flows, look at money-weighted return (IRR) or time-weighted return — both beyond this simple calculator.
- Can I enter a loss?
- Yes. If the final value is below the invested total, the calculator returns a negative total return. CAGR is also valid as long as both the initial and final values are positive.
- Does the tool account for taxes or fees?
- No. It computes return on the raw inputs you provide. To model after-tax returns, subtract estimated taxes from the final value before entering it.
- Is my financial data stored?
- No. All math runs locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server or saved between visits — refreshing the page clears everything.