When to use our growth rate calculator

Ever wondered how well your investment actually performed? This growth rate calculator is for those moments when you already know the starting amount, the ending amount, and the time period—but want to work out what kind of annual return that implies. It works just as well for savings as it does for investments. Not sure which one suits your goals best? Check out my article comparing saving and investing.

For example, if you invested £5,000 in January 2010 and it grew to £10,000 by January 2020, this tool would show an annual return of 7.18%—which is roughly in line with long-term global stock market averages.

It’s also a handy tool for comparing different financial products or checking whether your savings are on track to meet your goals.

How do I use the growth rate calculator?

You only need to enter four details:

  • Initial sum (£):
    • The amount you had saved or invested on the initial date.
    • Alternatively, you can use any currency—the calculation works the same.
  • Initial date:
    • The date you first saved or invested the initial sum.
  • Final sum (£):
    • The amount you had on the final date.
    • Again, you can use any currency—as long as it matches the initial sum.
  • Final date:
    • The date you want to measure your investment or savings growth up to.

Brace yourself: it’s calculator time!

 

Important considerations

  • This calculator assumes annual compounding and doesn’t factor in fees, taxes, or inflation. That means the rate of return you see here is a nominal, gross return.
  • If you’re a UK resident, you can visit the official HMRC website to learn how taxes might impact your earnings and overall investment returns.
  • This tool gives you the average annual return between two dates, but it doesn’t reflect how things may have gone up and down along the way. It’s a smooth line over what may have been a bumpy ride.
  • This calculator is built for lump sums, not for cases where you’ve been adding (or withdrawing) money regularly over time. If that’s your situation, and you want to know how much your money could grow, check out my savings & investment growth calculator.
  • Just because your investment performed well in the past doesn’t mean it’ll keep up the same pace!