Financial Calculators

Compound Interest Calculator | Calculate Your Investment Growth


Compound Interest Calculator

Input Your Data

Results

Initial Investment:

Total Contributions:

Total Interest:

Final Balance:

Compound Interest Calculator – See How Your Money Grows

Imagine putting $1,000 into a savings account and forgetting about it for 10 years. You expect it to grow a little, but when you check back, the balance is higher than you thought. Why? That’s the power of compound interest — your money earns interest, and then that interest earns interest too. A Compound Interest Calculator helps you visualize this growth, showing exactly how much you’ll have in the future, based on your investment, contributions, and compounding frequency.


Why Compound Interest Matters

Compound interest is often called the eighth wonder of the world because of how quickly wealth grows when you give it time. Here’s why it’s important:

  • Saves for the future: See how your savings account or retirement fund could grow.
  • Motivates consistent investing: Small monthly contributions make a big difference.
  • Shows the power of time: The earlier you start, the bigger the results.
  • Helps planning: Useful for retirement, college funds, or any long-term financial goal.

What You Need to Enter

The calculator works with a few simple inputs:

  • Initial Investment ($): The starting amount you put in.
  • Annual Interest Rate (%): How much your money grows per year, usually set by banks or investments.
  • Time Period (Years): How long you plan to invest.
  • Monthly Contribution ($): Optional – regular deposits boost growth.
  • Compounding Frequency: How often interest is applied (annually, semi-annually, quarterly, monthly, or daily). More frequent compounding means faster growth.

What You Need to Enter

The calculator works with a few simple inputs:

  • Initial Investment ($): The starting amount you put in.
  • Annual Interest Rate (%): How much your money grows per year, usually set by banks or investments.
  • Time Period (Years): How long you plan to invest.
  • Monthly Contribution ($): Optional – regular deposits boost growth.
  • Compounding Frequency: How often interest is applied (annually, semi-annually, quarterly, monthly, or daily). More frequent compounding means faster growth.

The Formula Behind Compound Interest

The general compound interest formula is:

      A = P × (1 + r/n) ^ (n×t) + (C × ((1 + r/n) ^ (n×t) - 1) / (r/n))
    

Where:

  • A = Final Balance
  • P = Initial Investment
  • r = Annual Interest Rate (decimal form)
  • n = Compounding Frequency (times per year)
  • t = Time in Years
  • C = Monthly Contribution

This formula accounts for both your starting investment and regular contributions.


How the Calculator Works (Step by Step)

  1. Enter Your Initial Investment: This is your starting balance.
  2. Choose Interest Rate: Input the annual percentage your investment earns.
  3. Select Time Period: Enter how many years you’ll leave the money invested.
  4. Add Monthly Contributions (if any): This shows the benefit of regular deposits.
  5. Pick Compounding Frequency: Choose annual, quarterly, monthly, or daily compounding.
  6. Calculate: The tool applies the formula and shows:
    • Initial Investment (your starting money)
    • Total Contributions (all extra deposits made over time)
    • Total Interest (how much your money earned)
    • Final Balance (the total value of your investment)

Example Calculation

  • Initial Investment: $5,000
  • Interest Rate: 6%
  • Time Period: 10 years
  • Monthly Contribution: $100
  • Compounding: Monthly

Results:

  • Initial Investment: $5,000
  • Total Contributions: $12,000
  • Total Interest: $9,650 (approx.)
  • Final Balance: $26,650

This shows how contributions + compounding work together to grow wealth.


Frequently Asked Questions – Compound Interest

It’s earning interest on your money, plus interest on the interest you already earned.
Yes, daily compounding grows faster than monthly or annual, but the difference is small unless investing large sums.
This calculator is designed for investments, not loans. For loans, you’d use an amortization calculator.
Your money still grows, just slower. Contributions accelerate the process.
Yes — simple interest only earns on the original investment, while compound interest grows much faster.
Daily compounding is mathematically best, but monthly or quarterly is common in banking.
Very accurate, provided you input correct numbers. Actual bank returns may differ slightly.
Absolutely — you can estimate how much regular savings will grow over decades.
Yes, inflation reduces future buying power. The calculator shows nominal growth, not adjusted for inflation.
The earlier, the better — time is the most powerful factor in compound interest growth.