💰 Finance & Investing

Investment Return Calculator

Calculate total and annualized return on any investment. Free investment return calculator for US investors.

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What This Calculator Tells You

This calculator shows how an investment performed between the day you bought it and today (or the day you sold): the total return, the profit in dollars, and the annualized return (CAGR) that lets you compare investments held for different lengths of time.

It works for stocks, funds, property, a business stake or anything with a starting and ending value.

What to Enter

Initial investment ($) — what you paid, including purchase fees or commissions.
Final value ($) — current market value or the sale price, after selling costs. Add any dividends or rent received if you did not reinvest them.
Years held — time between purchase and valuation. Use decimals for part-years (18 months = 1.5).

Worked Examples

1. An index fund held five years

$20,000 grows to $31,000.

Total return 55%, profit $11,000, annualized 9.16%.

2. A stock that fell

$5,000 is worth $4,200 after two years.

−16% total, about −8.35% a year.

3. A rental property

Bought for $250,000, sold for $410,000 net of costs after 8 years.

64% total sounds large, but it is about 6.38% a year — before counting rent income, maintenance and taxes.

How It’s Calculated

Total Return (%) = ((End − Start + Dividends) ÷ Start) × 100. Annualized = ((End ÷ Start)^(1/years) − 1) × 100.

How to Read Your Result

Annualized return (CAGR) is the number to compare between investments; total return favours whatever you held longest.
Compare with a benchmark such as a broad index fund over the same period.
Subtract inflation to see real growth — 6% in a 3% inflation environment is about 3% real.
Next step: for investments with regular contributions or uneven cash flows, use the IRR calculator.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring dividends or income, which understates return.
Leaving out fees and taxes on buying and selling.
Using this for investments with regular top-ups. CAGR from start and end values is wrong when you added money along the way.
Comparing total returns over different periods.

Built and maintained by GenAlpha Tools Editorial. Uses the standard published formula shown above. How we calculate · Report an error

When to Use This Calculator

Check how a stock, fund or property actually performed per year.
Compare two investments held for different lengths of time.
Benchmark your portfolio against an index.
Report realistic returns for a business or side investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is annualized return calculated?

CAGR = (final value ÷ initial value)1 ÷ years − 1.

What is the difference between total and annualized return?

Total return is the overall percentage gain. Annualized return spreads it evenly across the years, as if it grew at a constant rate each year.

What is a good annual return?

It depends on risk. Broad US stock indexes have historically averaged high single digits per year over long periods, with large swings; savings accounts pay much less but with little risk.

Does this account for taxes?

No. Enter values after fees if you want a net figure; taxes depend on your situation.

Do you store the values I enter?

No. All calculations happen in your browser. Your data never leaves your device.

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