Find CAGR from start and end values, project a future portfolio value, or solve for years to a goal. Three modes — instant results, no sign-up.
Added May 17, 2026
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Enter a value for what do you want to find? to see your result.
Calculates Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) — the smoothed annual return that turns a starting value into an ending value over time. Supports three modes: find CAGR, find future value, or find time to reach a target.
CAGR = (End Value / Start Value)^(1 / Years) − 1 Future Value = Start × (1 + CAGR)^Years Years = log(End / Start) / log(1 + CAGR)
(25000/10000)^(1/10) − 1 = 2.5^0.1 − 1 ≈ 9.60% per year. The investment grew 2.5× in a decade.
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5000 × (1.08)^20 = 5000 × 4.661 ≈ $23,305. Compound growth multiplies the initial stake 4.66×.
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log(50000/10000) / log(1.10) = log(5) / log(1.10) ≈ 16.9 years.
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CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) is the constant annual rate at which an investment would have grown from its starting value to its ending value, assuming the gains were reinvested each year. It matters because it strips out volatility and lets you compare investments held for different periods on an equal footing.
Average annual return simply adds up yearly returns and divides by the number of years. CAGR uses geometric compounding, which accounts for the effect of losses in one year reducing the base for the next. For volatile returns, CAGR will always be equal to or lower than the arithmetic average — it is the more realistic figure.
ROI (Return on Investment) is the total percentage gain or loss over the full period, regardless of time. CAGR converts that total return into an annualised rate so you can compare investments of different lengths. For a 1-year investment, CAGR and ROI are the same; for longer periods, CAGR is always lower than the equivalent simple ROI percentage.
The Rule of 72 is a mental shortcut: divide 72 by the CAGR percentage to estimate how many years it takes for an investment to double. At 6% CAGR it doubles in roughly 12 years; at 9% in roughly 8 years. It's an approximation — this calculator gives the exact figure.
Yes. A negative CAGR simply means the value shrank on average each year. For example, a portfolio that drops from $10,000 to $7,000 over 5 years has a CAGR of about −6.9% per year.
The S&P 500 has historically delivered roughly 10% nominal CAGR and about 7% real (inflation-adjusted) CAGR over long periods. Past performance does not guarantee future results.