Project the future value of a lump sum, a stream of regular contributions, or both together — with deposits and growth reported as separate, checkable numbers. Runs entirely in your browser — your numbers never leave this device.
| Year | Balance | Contributed | Interest earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6,600.71 | $6,200.00 | $400.71 |
| 2 | $8,317.13 | $7,400.00 | $917.13 |
| 3 | $10,157.64 | $8,600.00 | $1,557.64 |
| 4 | $12,131.19 | $9,800.00 | $2,331.19 |
| 5 | $14,247.42 | $11,000.00 | $3,247.42 |
| 6 | $16,516.62 | $12,200.00 | $4,316.62 |
| 7 | $18,949.87 | $13,400.00 | $5,549.87 |
| 8 | $21,559.01 | $14,600.00 | $6,959.01 |
| 9 | $24,356.78 | $15,800.00 | $8,556.78 |
| 10 | $27,356.79 | $17,000.00 | $10,356.79 |
| 11 | $30,573.67 | $18,200.00 | $12,373.67 |
| 12 | $34,023.10 | $19,400.00 | $14,623.10 |
| 13 | $37,721.89 | $20,600.00 | $17,121.89 |
| 14 | $41,688.07 | $21,800.00 | $19,888.07 |
| 15 | $45,940.96 | $23,000.00 | $22,940.96 |
| 16 | $50,501.30 | $24,200.00 | $26,301.30 |
| 17 | $55,391.30 | $25,400.00 | $29,991.30 |
| 18 | $60,634.80 | $26,600.00 | $34,034.80 |
| 19 | $66,257.35 | $27,800.00 | $38,457.35 |
| 20 | $72,286.36 | $29,000.00 | $43,286.36 |
Future value answers one question: what will money today be worth at a chosen future date if it grows at a given rate? A single lump sum uses the compound growth formula. A series of equal regular contributions uses the annuity formula, which recognises that each contribution grows for a different length of time — the first for the whole period, the last for almost none. When both are present the calculator computes the two parts separately and adds them, and the examples show that split explicitly.
Two assumptions are stated rather than buried: contributions are made at the end of each period (the standard annuity convention), and the rate stays constant for the whole projection. Real returns vary year to year, so treat the result as the value of the plan at the assumed average rate — an arithmetic projection, not a prediction or a promise about any investment.
The output separates three figures that are easy to blur: total contributions (money you put in), total growth (money the rate added) and final value (the sum). Keeping them apart is what makes one plan honestly comparable with another — two plans can reach the same final value with very different amounts of your own money at risk.
They are the same maths viewed from different ends. Compound interest usually asks 'how much interest will this earn?', while future value asks 'what will this be worth in total?' The Future Value Calculator reports both — the final value and the growth portion — so the two framings are reconciled on one page.
A contribution made at the start of a period gets one extra period of growth compared with the same contribution made at the end. Over hundreds of contributions that one-period shift changes the total slightly. Stating the end-of-period convention means you can reproduce the figure by hand and compare tools fairly — most standard calculators use the same convention.
The average annual rate you want to test — the calculator does not supply one and does not recommend one. A useful discipline is to run two or three rates (for example 4%, 6% and 8%) and treat the spread of results as the honest answer, because a single figure built on a single guessed rate looks more certain than it is.
No — the result is in future money, which buys less than today's money. To see the future value in today's purchasing power, work out the nominal result here and then run it through the Inflation Calculator at your assumed inflation rate for the same number of years.
Only if the rate is negative or zero-growth combined with withdrawals, neither of which this projection models. At a 0% rate the future value simply equals the total you contributed. A negative rate can be entered to model a loss scenario, and the formula handles it correctly — the balance shrinks each period instead of growing.
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