ROI Calculator

Enter what you put in and what it is worth now. Add how long you held it and you also get the annualised rate, which is the figure that lets you compare investments of different lengths.

ROI
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Gain
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Annualised
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Why the annualised figure is the one to compare

  • A 50% return says nothing without a duration. 50% over one year is excellent; 50% over twenty is roughly 2% a year, which is worse than doing nothing in most periods.
  • Plain ROI is still useful. It answers "how much did I make", which is the right question when the holding period is fixed or short.
  • Losses come out negative. A value below the amount invested gives a negative return, which is the honest description.
  • Nothing is annualised without a term. Leave the duration blank and the annualised field stays empty, rather than silently assuming one year.
  • No fees, tax or dividends. Enter the net figures you actually experienced if you want the answer to reflect them.

The equivalent in Excel

ROI is =(final-initial)/initial. The annualised rate is =(final/initial)^(1/years)-1 — the same arithmetic as CAGR, which is what an annualised return is.