How to use the investment return calculator
Start with the two account values and the dates attached to them. Add each contribution, withdrawal, income entry, or fee as its own cash-flow row so the result can separate money moved into the account from the change in value.
- Enter Starting value ($) and Start date for the beginning of the period.
- Enter Ending value ($) and End date. End date must be after Start date.
- Select Add cash flow for each contribution, withdrawal, income, or fee. Choose its Type and enter Amount ($).
- Enter the flow date under Date (optional) when you have it. Select Calculate, then review the result or select Copy result or Download result (.txt).
How cash flow dates change an investment return calculation
For the cash-flow calculation, Starting value, Contribution, and Fee are outflows. Withdrawal, Income, and Ending value are inflows. The calculator ignores a row with an empty Amount ($). Other entered amounts must be 0 or greater, and a flow date must fall between Start date and End date.
A flow without a date is assigned to End date and flagged in the result. Its timing then affects the money-weighted annualized return, so add the date when you know it.
Starting value: $10,000
Ending value: $14,500
Contribution: $500
Total return ($): $4,000What ROI, CAGR, and money-weighted return show
Total return ($) follows Ending Value - Starting Value - Contributions + Withdrawals + Income - Fees. Cost basis is Starting value plus Contributions. ROI divides total return by that cost basis, and shows Undefined when the cost basis is zero.
CAGR uses (Ending Value / Starting Value)^(1 / Years) - 1. Years is the number of days between the dates divided by 365.25. A cash-flow row makes CAGR a reference figure because the formula does not use flow timing. Money-weighted annualized return uses the starting and ending values plus the dates and amounts of Contributions, Withdrawals, Income, and Fees. It shows Undefined when the entered schedule has no solvable rate.
This result does not include time-weighted return. That calculation needs a portfolio value immediately before and after every cash flow. The calculator collects one Starting value ($) and one Ending value ($).
Choose a calculator for a different return input
Use the Financial Calculators category to browse other finance models. The CAGR Calculator takes a starting value, an ending value, and two dates without intervening cash-flow rows. The ROI Calculator takes investment cost, proceeds, income, and fees. The IRR Calculator takes a dated cash-flow series and reports an Actual/365 result.
Examples of records you can enter
- Record an account value at two dates, then add deposits as Contributions, withdrawals, dividends as Income, and account charges as Fees.
- Check the displayed cost basis, cash-flow totals, formulas, and warnings against a small investment record before selecting Copy result.
- Run the same period with and without cash-flow rows. When a row is present, the result labels CAGR as reference only.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate investment return with contributions?
Enter the starting and ending values and dates, then add each contribution as a cash-flow row. Add its date when known so the money-weighted annualized return uses that flow's timing.
Can I use this as an ROI calculator?
The result includes ROI, calculated as total return divided by Starting value plus Contributions. ROI is Undefined when that cost basis is zero.
What is the difference between CAGR and money-weighted return?
CAGR annualizes the change between Starting value and Ending value using the elapsed dates. Money-weighted annualized return also uses the amounts and dates of Contributions, Withdrawals, Income, and Fees.
Why is my investment return undefined?
ROI is Undefined when cost basis is zero. CAGR is Undefined when Starting value or Ending value is zero. Money-weighted annualized return is Undefined when the entered cash-flow schedule has no numerical solution.