Growth & returns
What today's savings and steady deposits could grow into
A future value calculator: clients enter an amount today, regular deposits, compounding, a return and years, and see the future value split into what they put in and what growth added.
Included on every plan, even the free Practitioner plan. No card needed.
How do you calculate the future value of an investment?
Grow the starting amount at the assumed rate for the number of periods, then add the future value of each regular deposit. $10,000 at 6% compounded yearly grows to about $17,908 in 10 years. Adding deposits, compounding more often or extending the time all raise the result; small rate differences compound into large gaps.
New Year's resolutions and windfalls
A bonus, an inheritance or a resolution to start investing prompts the question. Clients want to see what their money could become, and the answer motivates action, especially when they see how much comes from growth rather than deposits.
What the client types into a search box
“how much will my money grow if I invest it”
How a client works through it
Enter today's amount
A lump sum invested now, which can be zero.
Add regular deposits
The amount added each period.
Choose compounding and return
How often growth is added and the annual rate.
Set the years
See future value, total invested and total growth.
What lands in your inbox
When a client asks your firm to review the result, the request arrives as a contact record with their inputs and results attached, by email and, on paid plans, by webhook to your CRM.
Received
Starting amount, deposits, return and years reveal savings capacity and horizon. A large starting amount suggests a windfall to plan for. High assumed returns may need tempering in a conversation.
Total invested versus total growth
Future Value is the projected balance. Total Invested is what the client puts in; Total Growth is the rest. Over long periods, growth often exceeds deposits, which is the most persuasive number on the screen.
Results are nominal: they don't adjust for inflation or taxes.
Results shown: Future Value · Total Invested · Total Growth · Amount Invested Today.
Ten years at 6%
$10,000 at 6% compounded yearly for 10 years: $10,000 × 1.06^10 = $17,908.48. Add $100 a month and the result rises substantially, most of it from deposits at first, then increasingly from growth.
Why do planners keep a future value calculator handy?
It's the simplest demonstration of compounding, the engine of every plan. Clients who see growth outpace their deposits understand why starting early and staying invested matters.
For firms, it's a top-of-funnel tool: widely searched, easy to share and a gentle introduction to planning.
Follow-ups this request opens
- Build a savings plan for a specific goal
- Decide where to invest a windfall
- Review return expectations and risk
- Choose tax-advantaged accounts for the deposits
What this calculator leaves out
- Constant rate; real returns vary.
- Taxes and fees are not included.
- Deposits are made at the end of each period.
- No inflation adjustment.
Platform disclaimer shown under the calculator: Estimates only. Assumes a constant rate of return compounded at the selected frequency, with deposits made at the end of each period; actual returns vary and taxes and inflation are not included.
Compliance note for firms
Growth projections presented by an adviser can be hypothetical performance under the SEC Marketing Rule. The calculator leaves the rate to the client; keep it that way and disclose that results are illustrations, not predictions.
Not legal advice. See our disclaimer and the guide to compliance for client calculators.
Terms your client sees in the calculator
These definitions appear in the calculator's collapsible Definitions block, so clients don't have to call to ask what a label means.
- Future value
- What money invested today, plus any regular deposits, will be worth at a future date at a given rate of return. This calculator compounds the lump sum and each deposit at the frequency you choose. The result is before taxes and inflation, so its buying power will be lower than the number suggests.
- Present value
- The value today of an amount, here the lump sum you invest now. Future value grows present value forward at the rate of return; present value works in reverse, discounting a future amount back to today. For example, $10,000 at 6% compounded yearly grows to about $17,908 in 10 years.
- Compound interest
- Earning a return on both the original amount and the returns already added. Each period’s growth is added to the balance and earns returns in later periods, so growth accelerates over time. The longer the money stays invested, the larger the share of the final value that comes from compounding.
- Compounding frequency
- How often returns are added to the balance, for example yearly, quarterly, monthly or daily. At the same annual rate, more frequent compounding gives a slightly higher result. In this calculator the frequency also sets how often the periodic deposit is added.
- Periodic deposit
- An amount added at the end of every compounding period, a pattern known as an ordinary annuity. Deposits made at the end of a period earn nothing for that period, which is how this calculator treats them. Leave the field at zero to project a single lump sum.
- Annual return
- The average yearly rate at which the investment grows, applied at a constant rate for every year. Real investments rise and fall, so actual results will vary. A small difference in the rate adds up over long periods: the gap between 5% and 7% over 30 years is large.
In our glossary: Future value · Compound interest
Future Value calculator: questions from firms and clients
What rate should I use?
One consistent with the investment's risk. Test several.
Does compounding frequency matter much?
A little; time and rate matter far more.
Are taxes included?
No. Use the taxable vs. tax-deferred calculator to see tax drag.
Does it adjust for inflation?
No. Subtract expected inflation from the rate for a rough real value.
Are deposits at the start or end of each period?
At the end.
What's the reverse calculation?
The present value calculator finds what to invest today for a future amount.
Is the result guaranteed?
No, it's an illustration based on the rate entered.
Which plan includes it?
Every plan, including the free Practitioner plan, which runs up to 5 calculators at once alongside the other investment tools. Firm (up to 50) and Network (no cap) add webhooks and white-label. See pricing.
No question matches that filter. Clear it to see them all, search the whole site, or ask us directly; we reply within one business day.
Clients who ask this usually ask next
Present Value
how much do I need to invest now to have 50000 in 10 years
Annual Rate of Return
what was my average annual return
Rule of 72
how long does it take to double my money
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Answer the January question before the client calls
Embed the Future Value calculator on your firm's site in an afternoon and receive requests with the numbers already filled in.
Firm and Network plans include a 14-day trial. Cancel before it ends and you pay nothing.