Compound Growth / DCA Calculator

It projects how a starting amount plus regular monthly contributions could grow at a steady annual return. Investing a fixed amount on a schedule is often called dollar-cost averaging (DCA).

Starting amount

Money you invest on day one.

Monthly contribution

How much you add every month.

Annual return

The yearly growth rate you assume. Real returns go up and down year to year; this uses a constant rate.

Years

How long to project.

Future value is the projected ending balance. Total contributed is what you put in yourself. Growth is the difference, the part produced by compounding.

Start with $10,000, add $500 a month, assume 7% a year for 20 years. You contribute $130,000 in total, and at a constant 7% the balance grows to roughly $300,000. Most of the growth arrives in the later years, which is how compounding works.

• Treating the assumed return as guaranteed.
• Forgetting inflation: future dollars buy less than today's.
• Ignoring taxes and fees, which lower real results.