Project deterministic investment growth from a starting value and monthly contributions, with explicit beginning- or end-of-month timing and dollar reconciliation.
A quick decision brief for this specific tool
Starting investment, month-end or month-beginning contribution, fixed nominal annual return scenario, and a whole-year horizon
Projected balance, dollar contributions, modeled growth, growth divided by contributions, annual reconciliation, charts, copy/share/print, and timing comparison
Deterministic monthly compounding at the nominal annual scenario divided by 12, with each recurring cash flow placed at the explicitly selected beginning or end of month
Choose your path
Project a hypothetical investment path from starting value, monthly contributions, constant nominal return, horizon, and beginning/end contribution timing without inferring risk or asset allocation from the entered return.
See the contribution-versus-growth split for a constant-return scenario.
Enter starting value, monthly contribution, rate, horizon, and timing; inspect the annual table and final balance.
Can explain when deposits occur and treats growth as a scenario rather than an expected market outcome.
Measure the exact difference between beginning- and end-of-month deposits.
Hold all values constant, switch timing, and compare balances and total contributions.
Gets equal deposits but a defensible one-period growth difference.
Avoid a fake allocation recommendation derived only from a typed return.
Review limitations and sensitivity on a phone, then copy the neutral scenario summary.
No output labels a return assumption conservative/aggressive or prescribes stocks/bonds without risk inputs.
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Calculate total ROI and net gain or loss, then use CAGR for endpoint-only investments or money-weighted IRR for explicit year-end contributions.
Compare an amount across published 2000–2025 BLS CPI-U annual averages or model a clearly labeled constant-rate inflation scenario in either direction.
Project a starting balance and real month-end contributions under annual, semiannual, quarterly, monthly, or daily nominal compounding, with exact deposit and interest reconciliation.
The entered nominal annual return is divided by 12 and held constant for every month. It is a scenario input, not a forecast or historical performance measure.
Monthly rate = nominal annual return ÷ 12Beginning-of-month contributions receive that month's modeled growth; end-of-month contributions do not. Both paths deposit exactly the same dollars, making the timing difference auditable.
Beginning: add contribution, then growth; End: apply growth, then add contributionThe displayed percentage is modeled growth divided by all contributed dollars. Because contributions occur throughout the period, it is not labeled CAGR, IRR, or time-weighted return. The tool does not infer risk tolerance or prescribe an allocation from the entered rate.
Growth ÷ contributions = modeled dollar growth ÷ total contributed dollarsUpdated: August 2026
A principal-only deterministic projection using a 7% nominal annual scenario divided monthly.
→ Final balance: $40,387.39; contributions: $10,000; modeled growth: $30,387.39
A 20-year, 7% fixed scenario demonstrates how the total reconciles without presenting the input as a market forecast.
→ Final balance: $300,850.72; contributions: $130,000; modeled growth: $170,850.72
With identical inputs, beginning-of-month deposits finish slightly higher because each recurring dollar receives one additional month of modeled growth; contributed dollars remain identical.
Recurring cash flows arrive on different dates. This tool labels the ratio literally; use cash-flow IRR or time-weighted returns for genuine performance measurement.
A typed return does not measure capacity or willingness to take risk. The calculator intentionally removes conservative/aggressive labels and stock/bond prescriptions.
Explore how a fixed return scenario, time horizon, contribution amount, and cash-flow timing change a projected balance. The result separates contributed dollars from modeled growth and avoids unsupported risk or allocation claims.