Calculate your total return, ROI, and annualized performance on any investment. See exactly how much you made — or lost — with an interactive breakdown.
| Year | Invested | Growth | Value | Cumulative ROI |
|---|
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Knowing how much your investments actually made (or lost) sounds simple, but it is surprisingly easy to get wrong. Did you account for dividends? Additional contributions? Fees? Inflation? The number your brokerage shows you is often just the tip of the iceberg. This guide breaks down every metric you need to truly understand your investment performance.
Return on Investment (ROI) is the simplest way to measure how much money you made or lost. The formula is straightforward:
If you invested $10,000 and your investment is now worth $13,500, your ROI is 35%. Simple, useful, but limited — it does not account for how long it took to earn that return. A 35% return over 2 years is much better than 35% over 10 years.
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) solves the time problem. It converts any holding period return into an equivalent annual rate, making it the best metric for comparing investments held for different durations.
That 35% total return? Over 5 years, it is a 6.19% CAGR. Over 2 years, it would be 16.19% CAGR. Same total return, very different annual performance. CAGR is how professional investors compare opportunities.
Your brokerage might show you “price return” — just the change in share price. But if you received dividends, your total return is higher. For dividend-paying stocks and funds, the difference is significant:
| Metric | What It Includes | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Price Return | Capital gains only | Growth stocks, crypto, non-dividend assets |
| Total Return | Capital gains + dividends + distributions | Dividend stocks, REITs, bond funds, mutual funds |
| Net Return | Total return minus fees and taxes | Actual money in your pocket |
💡 Key insight: Historically, dividends account for about 40% of the S&P 500’s total return. Ignoring dividends dramatically understates your actual performance. Always use total return when evaluating your investments.
Fees are the silent wealth killer. A fund charging 1% annually does not sound like much, but over 30 years it consumes roughly 25-30% of your total wealth. Consider this comparison:
This is why low-cost index investing has become the default recommendation from nearly every financial advisor. Use our Compound Interest Calculator to model the long-term impact of different fee structures on your portfolio.
A 10% return sounds great until you realize inflation was 3%. Your real (purchasing power) return is roughly 7%. Over long periods, this distinction matters enormously:
Your million dollars only buys $413,000 worth of stuff in today’s terms. This is why financial planners always talk about “real returns” — the number that actually determines your future lifestyle. Toggle on inflation in our Advanced Mode to see this impact on your own investments.
Raw numbers mean nothing without context. Compare your returns against relevant benchmarks:
| Benchmark | Avg Annual Return | Best For Comparing |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | ~10% nominal / ~7% real | US large-cap stocks, index funds |
| Total US Bond Index | ~4-5% | Bond funds, fixed income portfolios |
| 60/40 Portfolio | ~7-8% | Balanced/moderate portfolios |
| High-Yield Savings | ~4-5% (2026) | Cash alternatives, emergency funds |
| Inflation (CPI) | ~2-3% | Minimum bar — your return must beat this |
If your portfolio returned 6% but the S&P 500 returned 10%, you underperformed. If your conservative bond fund returned 4.5% when bonds averaged 4%, you outperformed. Context matters. Use our Retirement Savings Calculator to see how different return assumptions affect your long-term financial plan.
| S&P 500 (10-yr avg) | ~10-12% |
| Total Bond Index | ~4-5% |
| 60/40 Portfolio | ~7-8% |
| High-yield savings | ~4-5% |
| US inflation (avg) | ~2-3% |