See exactly how your money grows over time. Adjust your initial investment, monthly contributions, and interest rate to model any scenario — then export a full report as a PDF.
| Year | Balance | Total invested | Interest this yr | Total interest |
|---|
Lost wealth if you wait to start
How it works
Compound interest means you earn returns not just on what you invest, but on the interest you've already earned. Over time, this snowball effect becomes the most powerful force in wealth building — small amounts invested consistently can grow into life-changing sums.
The more frequently interest compounds, the faster your money grows. Daily compounding yields slightly more than annual compounding at the same rate, because each smaller interest payment starts earning its own returns sooner. For long time horizons, the difference adds up.
Time is your most valuable investment asset. Delaying by even one year means missing compounding on every dollar you would have earned in that period — and that gap widens every year after. The "Cost of Delay" panel in the calculator shows exactly what waiting costs you in your scenario.
Common questions
Use the preset buttons as a starting point. The S&P 500 has averaged roughly 10% annually over the long term before inflation. A balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds typically returns 6–7%. High-yield savings accounts currently sit around 4–5% depending on your country and bank.
Yes, if you want to understand what your future balance is worth in today's money. The 2.5% inflation toggle reduces your effective rate by 2.5%, giving you a "real return" figure. It's a more honest picture of purchasing power, especially for horizons of 20 years or more.
It reduces your annual return by your marginal tax rate, simulating returns in a taxable account. If your investments are in a tax-sheltered account — such as an ISA, Roth IRA, TFSA, or similar — leave this toggle off, since those gains are not subject to annual tax.
Yes — click the Export PDF button at the top of the year-by-year breakdown table. The report includes your full settings, summary metrics, cost of delay figures, financial milestones, and a complete year-by-year table formatted for print or sharing.