Project how a starting balance and recurring monthly investments could compound over time.
Separate your own contributions from modeled investment growth and view an inflation-adjusted ending value.
The starting investment is present from the beginning. Each monthly contribution is added at the start
of the modeled month, then the portfolio grows using an equivalent monthly factor derived from the gross
annual return and annual fee assumptions.
The inflation-adjusted ending value discounts the nominal projection using the constant annual inflation
assumption entered above. It is a simplified purchasing-power illustration, not a forecast of inflation
or investment returns.
What the calculator separates
Your contributions and modeled investment growth are not the same thing.
The calculator tracks how much money you contribute and how much of the projected ending value comes
from the return assumption after the modeled annual fund fee.
Total contributedstarting investment + monthly contribution × number of months
Contribution timingmonthly contribution added at the start of each modeled month
Inflation adjustmentnominal ending value ÷ (1 + inflation)^years
Recurring investing
Monthly investing is different from spreading an existing lump sum.
This calculator assumes new money is contributed month by month. It does not assume that the full
future contribution amount is sitting in cash from day one.
If you already have a fixed amount available and want to compare investing it immediately with deliberately
spreading it over time, use the Lump Sum vs DCA Calculator.
Inflation
Nominal future value and purchasing power answer different questions.
The headline ending value is nominal. The inflation-adjusted result discounts that projection using the
constant inflation assumption you enter so you can see an approximate value in today's purchasing-power terms.
Frequently asked questions
Monthly investing: common questions
Are monthly contributions invested at the beginning or end of the month?
This model adds each monthly contribution at the start of the modeled month before applying that month's growth factor.
Does the expected return include dividends?
The return input is treated as a gross total-return assumption. Do not add a separate dividend yield unless you intentionally want to model a different assumption.
Are fees deducted separately?
Yes. The annual return is treated as gross before the annual fund-fee input. The model combines the return and fee factors before converting them to a monthly factor.
What does the inflation-adjusted ending value mean?
It discounts the nominal projected ending value using the constant annual inflation assumption. It is a simplified purchasing-power comparison, not a prediction of future inflation.
Can I share my scenario?
Yes. Current assumptions are stored in the URL so the Copy share link button can reopen the same scenario while the canonical SEO URL stays clean.
Related guide
What return assumption should you use?
Learn why a projection rate is an assumption rather than a forecast and how to test lower,
central and higher-return scenarios.
Nominal growth is not the same as purchasing power.
Learn how inflation changes the interpretation of a future portfolio balance and why Finance Charts
shows nominal and inflation-adjusted values separately.
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