What this calculates
Enter an amount you invest once, the return you expect each year and how long it stays invested, and this shows what the investment could be worth at the end, how much of that is returns, and how many times the money has multiplied. A growth curve and a year-by-year table show how it builds.
It assumes the same return every year. Market-linked returns vary, so the result is an estimate, not a promise.
The formula
The return for each year is added to the value, and earns a return itself from then on.
The value
FV = P × (1 + r)^tP is the amount invested, r the expected yearly return as a decimal - 12% is 0.12 - and t the number of years.
The returns
Estimated returns = FV − PThe multiple
Times multiplied = FV ÷ PWorked example
Left for 20 years, the same ₹1,00,000 reaches about ₹9,64,629 — 9.65 times the money.
When to use it, and the mistakes to avoid
Use it to see where a one-time investment could get to, to compare returns and periods, and to compare investing a sum at once with spreading it out through a SIP.
The mistakes that cost the most:
- Treating the expected return as guaranteed. The result assumes the same return every year. Market-linked returns rise and fall, so the real figure can land above or below the estimate.
- Reading the total return as a yearly one. ₹2,10,585 on ₹1,00,000 is about 210.6% over ten years — not per year. The 12% is the yearly rate the calculation assumes.
- Multiplying the rate by the years. 12% for ten years is not 120%: the returns compound, so ₹1,00,000 becomes about ₹3,10,585, not ₹2,20,000.
- Comparing a lumpsum with a SIP of the same total. A lumpsum has all its money invested from day one, so at the same return it grows more. That does not make it the right choice for money that arrives month by month.
- Forgetting tax, fees and inflation. The figure is gross: before tax on the gains, fund expenses and exit loads, and in today's money.
FAQ
How is lumpsum return calculated?
The amount grows at the expected yearly return, and each year's return is added to the value and earns in turn: FV = P × (1 + r)^t, where P is the amount invested, r the yearly return as a decimal and t the number of years.
How much will ₹1,00,000 grow to in 10 years?
At an expected 12% a year it comes to about ₹3,10,585 - a little over three times the money, of which about ₹2,10,585 is returns. At 10% it is about ₹2,59,374, and at 8% about ₹2,15,893.
Is lumpsum or SIP better?
At the same steady return, a lumpsum grows more, because all the money is invested from the first day. ₹6,00,000 invested at once at 12% for ten years grows to about ₹18,63,509, while ₹5,000 a month for the same ten years reaches about ₹11,61,695. A SIP suits money that arrives monthly, and spreads out when you buy.
How long does money take to double?
Divide 72 by the yearly return for a close estimate. At 12% that is six years - ₹1,00,000 reaches about ₹1,97,382 - and at 8% it is nine years, about ₹1,99,900.
Is the lumpsum return guaranteed?
No. This calculator assumes the same return every year, which market-linked investments do not deliver. Treat the result as an estimate of where a steady return would take you, not a promise.
Does this account for tax, fees or inflation?
No. It shows the gross value before any tax on the gains, fund expenses or exit loads, in today's money rather than adjusted for inflation. All of those depend on the fund and your situation.