Growth & Return
Future Value Calculator
Find what a sum today becomes after earning a steady rate.
Future Value Calculator
All math runs locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
How it works
Future value projects a present amount forward at a fixed rate per period. It answers the question: if I put $5,000 away today, what will it be worth after ten years at 6%?
This is the core calculation behind savings goals, bond maturity values and any single-deposit growth estimate. Keep the rate and the periods on the same unit: if periods are years, use the annual rate.
Formula
FV = PV (1 + r)n
PV = present value, r = rate per period, n = number of periods.
Worked example
Example: $5,000 today at 6% per year for 10 years. FV = 5000 × 1.06^10 = $8,954.24. Your money grows by $3,954 without adding a cent.
WORKED EXAMPLE — DEFAULT INPUTS
What to know
If you plan to add money every month, the picture changes: future value becomes a sum of many small future values, each compounding for a different number of periods. A practical shortcut is to compute the lump-sum growth, then add the annuity growth of the regular deposits separately.
Most retirement projections mix both: an existing balance grows as a lump sum while new contributions grow as an annuity stream. Keeping the two separate makes it easier to see which driver — the balance, the rate, or the monthly deposit — moves your outcome the most.
Rule of thumb: money roughly doubles every time the product of years and rate reaches 72. At 6% it doubles about every 12 years, which is a fast way to check whether a projected future value is in the right ballpark.
FAQ
Should r be annual or per period?
Match the rate to whatever the periods count. For 10 years use the annual rate; for 40 quarters use the quarterly rate.
Does this include regular contributions?
No, it handles one lump sum. Add recurring deposits separately, or combine with the annuity payment logic on the annuity page.
Is future value adjusted for inflation?
Only if you set the rate to a real return, which is the nominal return minus expected inflation.
Why does the result jump so much with a small rate change?
Because growth compounds exponentially over many periods. A 1% difference at 6% vs 7% over 30 years is about a 40% difference in the final value.