Compound Interest and Your Return

How interest is calculated can greatly affect your savings. The more often interest is compounded, or added to your account, the more you earn. This calculator demonstrates how compounding can affect your savings, and how interest on your interest really adds up!

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Definitions

Investment Amount: The amount of your initial investment.
Interest Rate: The annual interest rate for your investment. The actual rate of return is largely dependent on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2008, the average annual compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 9.7% (source: www.standardandpoors.com). During this period, the highest 12-month return was 61%, from June 1982 through June 1983. The lowest 12-month return was -39%, which happened twice, once from September 1973 to September 1974 and again from November 2007 to November 2008. Savings accounts at a bank may pay as little as 1% or less but carry significantly lower risk of loss of principal balances.
It is important to remember that these scenarios are hypothetical and that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are generally subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment. It is not possible to invest directly in an index and the compounded rate of return noted above does not reflect sales charges and other fees that funds and/or investment companies may charge.
Compound Interest: Interest on an investment's interest, plus previous interest. The more frequently this occurs, the sooner your accumulated interest will generate additional interest. You should check with your financial institution to find out how often interest is being compounded on your particular investment.
Years: Number of years for this investment.
Yearly APY: Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded yearly.
Quarterly APY: Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded quarterly.
Monthly APY: Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded monthly.
Daily APY: Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded daily.