See how regular monthly investing could grow over time. Enter a monthly amount, how long you invest and an expected yearly return, and the calculator shows how much you put in, the estimated growth and the projected value — year by year, with a chart. Returns are an assumption, not a promise.
Investing a steady amount every month does two things. It builds a habit, and it lets each contribution grow for longer. In a long plan, the growth can end up larger than everything you put in.
Example. 1,000 a month for 12 months at a 0% return is simply 12,000 invested with no growth. Raise the expected return and the later years do most of the work, because the early money has had years to compound.
The yearly return you enter is turned into an effective monthly rate, and each monthly amount grows at that rate until the end. A starting lump sum, if you add one, grows for the whole period. This is a projection of an average return — the real path is never a straight line.
A Systematic Investment Plan means investing a fixed amount at regular intervals — usually every month — into a fund or portfolio, instead of one lump sum. It spreads your buying over time and builds the habit of investing.
No. Markets go up and down, so the return you enter is only an assumption about a long-term average. The real result could be higher or lower. Use the projection to compare choices, not as a promise.
Each monthly amount is assumed to grow at an effective monthly rate taken from the yearly return. Contributions made earlier have more time to grow, so most of the final value in a long plan is growth, not the money you put in.
If you invest at the start of each month, each amount has one extra month to grow compared with investing at the end. Over long periods that makes a small positive difference.
No. The projection is before fund fees, taxes and inflation. Those reduce the real outcome, so treat the figure as a gross estimate.
A calculator gives you one answer. A cashbook shows you the whole picture: write down cash in and cash out, see where the money goes in charts and on a calendar, and share a ledger with your family, team or friends.
This takes a few seconds.