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Watch your money grow

Compound growth is growth on top of growth. Over enough years it can add more than you put in yourself. Enter a starting amount and a monthly habit and see how the two compare.

Your numbers

Assumptions (edit them)

Starting values are uFIRE's defaults, not predictions. Why we chose them is explained below.

Default 5%, meant as a return after inflation. Not a forecast.

How your money could grow

After 25 years

$326,731

At 5% a year.

You put in
$160,000
Growth added
$166,731

What you put in, and what growth added

Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read a year.

  • You put in
  • Growth
$0$100K$200K$300K$400KYear 0Year 13Year 25

See the table
Balance, contributions and growth by year
YearBalanceYou put inGrowth
0$10,000$10,000$0
1$16,636$16,000$636
2$23,604$22,000$1,604
3$30,921$28,000$2,921
4$38,603$34,000$4,603
5$46,670$40,000$6,670
6$55,139$46,000$9,139
7$64,033$52,000$12,033
8$73,371$58,000$15,371
9$83,175$64,000$19,175
10$93,471$70,000$23,471
11$104,280$76,000$28,280
12$115,631$82,000$33,631
13$127,548$88,000$39,548
14$140,062$94,000$46,062
15$153,202$100,000$53,202
16$166,998$106,000$60,998
17$181,484$112,000$69,484
18$196,695$118,000$78,695
19$212,666$124,000$88,666
20$229,435$130,000$99,435
21$247,043$136,000$111,043
22$265,532$142,000$123,532
23$284,945$148,000$136,945
24$305,328$154,000$151,328
25$326,731$160,000$166,731

Turn this into a plan

When could this make you financially independent?

The math

Each month, the balance grows by the monthly version of the yearly return, then that month's amount is added:

monthly rate = (1 + r)1/12 − 1

r = yearly return, as a decimal. At 5% a year, the monthly rate is about 0.407%.

balance next month = balance × (1 + monthly rate) + monthly amount

With no monthly amount, that's the same as starting amount × (1 + r)years. For example, $10,000 at 7% a year for 10 years grows to about $19,672. If you turn on the inflation adjustment, the balance is divided by (1 + inflation)years to show it in today's dollars, and each monthly amount is counted at what it was worth in today's dollars when you added it, so “growth” is growth beyond inflation.

The SEC's investor education site explains compound interest (opens in a new tab), and has its own compound interest calculator (opens in a new tab).

About the return

Default 5% a year, after inflation. We use an after-inflation (“real”) return by default so the result is in today's dollars and easy to picture. It's a planning assumption for a portfolio that holds mostly stocks, not a forecast. Real markets go up and down; some years lose money.

If you'd rather enter a return before inflation, turn on “Show results in today's dollars” and enter an inflation rate, so the two don't get mixed up. In that mode your monthly amount stays the same in dollars, so it's worth a little less each year; with the default after-inflation return, it's treated as rising with inflation. Fees and taxes would reduce real-world growth; this calculator leaves them out.

What this calculator can't tell you

  • Real markets aren't smooth

    The math assumes the same return every year. Real returns jump around, and some decades are much worse than average. Treat any date or number here as a rough guide, not a promise.

  • Inflation

    Results are in today's dollars because the return is “real” (after inflation). If you enter a return that isn't adjusted for inflation, the answers will look rosier than they are. Inflation is usually measured by the Consumer Price Index (opens in a new tab).

  • Taxes

    These numbers are before tax on your withdrawals. Money from a traditional 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) or IRA is generally taxed as income when you take it out, and taking it before 59½ can add a 10% additional tax unless an exception applies (see the IRS list of exceptions (opens in a new tab)). Roth money and ordinary investment accounts follow different rules. Add an allowance for tax to your spending.

Sources

Links checked October 5, 2026.

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