What is CAGR and how is it different from average return?
CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) is the single steady annual rate that would take your starting value to your ending value over the period, accounting for compounding. A simple average of yearly returns can be misleading -- a 50% gain followed by a 50% loss averages to 0%, but you'd actually be down 25%. CAGR reflects what actually happened to your money.Read more: Investment Growth Calculator: What Your Monthly Investing Really Builds
Is SIP better than a lump sum investment?
Neither is universally better -- a SIP (spreading investment across regular installments) reduces the risk of investing everything right before a downturn and suits regular income, while a lump sum captures more time in the market if invested when prices are relatively low. For most people investing from salary, SIP is the practical default; a lump sum windfall is often still better invested promptly rather than staggered indefinitely.Read more: Whole Life Insurance: Sold as an Investment, It Is Neither
How does compounding actually grow money over time?
Compounding means your returns start earning their own returns, not just your original investment. The effect is small in early years and accelerates sharply later -- which is why starting early matters more than almost any other single investing decision, even more than the exact return rate.Read more: Got a Windfall? The Boring Answer Is Usually Right.
What's a realistic long-term return to assume for equity investments?
Long-term equity returns vary a great deal by market and period, and past performance never guarantees future results. Most long-term financial plans use a conservative, inflation-aware assumption rather than recent bull-market numbers -- this calculator lets you test your own assumption and see how sensitive the outcome is to it.Read more: Investment Growth Calculator: What Your Monthly Investing Really Builds
Estimates only, not financial advice. See our Disclaimer.
