Investment Contribution
Project what steady monthly investing grows into over the years.
About Investment Contribution
Regular contributions compound through the annuity formula, and growth earnings are the part of the total that came from returns. Time in the market, not timing, is what does most of the work, so automated recurring contributions capture the best average return.
Formula
Investment Contribution
FV = contribution x ((1+i)^n - 1)/i; earnings = FV - contributed
- i
- Monthly return from the annual rate divided by 12
- n
- Months invested
Worked example
With the default values below, Investment Contribution returns Future Value of $260,463. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Monthly contributionminimum 0
- 500
- Annual returnaccepts 0–30 %
- 7 %
- Yearsminimum 0.5 years
- 20 years
Results
- Future Value
- $260,463
- Total Contributed
- $120,000
- Growth Earnings
- $140,463
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Investment Contribution
- 3Future Value= 260,463
- 4Total Contributed= 120,000
- 5Growth Earnings= 140,463
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 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 whole numbers, 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
How is Investment Contribution calculated?
FV = contribution x ((1+i)^n - 1)/i; earnings = FV - contributed Regular contributions compound through the annuity formula, and growth earnings are the part of the total that came from returns.
Why does Investment Contribution matter?
Time in the market, not timing, is what does most of the work, so automated recurring contributions capture the best average return.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Monthly contribution, Annual return, Years. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.