Future Value Calculator
Project what today's money grows into at a given rate and horizon.
About Future Value Calculator
Future value tells you what a sum of money — invested today at a given rate — will be worth after a specified period. Compounding means the interest itself earns interest, so growth is exponential rather than linear. More frequent compounding produces a slightly higher future value because you earn interest on interest sooner.
Formulas
Future value of a lump sum
FV = PV × (1 + r)^n
- PV
- Present value (starting amount)
- r
- Periodic rate (annual rate ÷ periods per year)
- n
- Total number of periods
Future value with periodic contributions
FV = PV × (1+r)^n + PMT × [(1+r)^n − 1] / r
- PMT
- Periodic contribution
- r
- Periodic rate
- n
- Total periods
Worked example
With the default values below, Future Value Calculator returns Future Value of $91,881.93. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Starting Amount (PV)minimum 0 $
- 10,000 $
- Periodic Contributionminimum 0 $
- 200 $
- Annual Growth Rate (%)accepts 0–100
- 7
- Compounding Frequencyone of Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-annually, Annually
- Monthly
- Yearsaccepts 1–50
- 15
- Contribution Timingone of End of period, Start of period
- End of period
Results
- Future Value
- $91,881.93
- Total Amount Invested
- $46,000.00
- Growth (Interest Earned)
- $45,881.93
- Effective Annual Rate (APY)
- 7.2290%
- Growth Factor (×)FV ÷ starting amount — how many times your principal multiplied.
- 9.1882
Step by step
- 1Starting amount (PV)= $10,000.00
- 2Periodic rate= 0.583333%
- 3Growth of principal= $28,489.47
- 4Future value of contributions= $63,392.46
- 5Total future value= $91,881.93Effective annual yield (APY): 7.2290%
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 6 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or fees or charges into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What growth rate should I assume for investments?
The US stock market has historically returned about 10% annually before inflation and about 7% after inflation. For a diversified portfolio, 6–8% is commonly used for long-term planning. Conservative projections use 4–5%. Always stress-test your plan at a lower rate.
Does the compounding frequency matter for investments?
For stock returns, compounding frequency doesn't apply in the traditional sense — returns reinvested depend on when dividends are paid and when you reinvest. For savings accounts and CDs, more frequent compounding gives a higher APY on the same nominal rate.
How does inflation affect my future value?
To find real (inflation-adjusted) future value, use the real return rate: real rate ≈ nominal rate − inflation rate. If you expect 7% nominal returns and 3% inflation, enter 4% as your growth rate. The result is in today's dollars.
What is the 'Rule of 72'?
A quick mental shortcut: divide 72 by the annual rate to estimate how many years it takes to double your money. At 7%, money doubles in about 72 ÷ 7 ≈ 10.3 years. This calculator gives the exact answer.