Example 1
- Starting value: 10,000
- Ending value: 12,500
Total return +25.00%
Gain/loss 2,500.00
Positive total return - capital grew by 2500 in the header currency.
Rate of return calculator
The rate of return calculator computes total return from two values: a start and an end. From 10000 to 12500 you get +25% and 2500 of gain. Horizon and inflation are optional; the headline always stays with the total percent.
Total return = (end − start) ÷ start. 10000 to 12500 is +25%. With deposits use IRR. CAGR as the headline lives on CAGR.
Result
Starting value, Ending value, Time horizon and Annual inflation (%). The result shows up here.
How results are calculated
Rate of return on this page is total return: (ending value − starting value) ÷ starting value × 100%. Gain or loss is the money difference. There are no mid-period flows. The headline is always that total percent, even when you turn on a horizon or inflation.
From 10000 to 12500 the result is +25% and 2500 of gain. From 10000 to 8500 it is −15% and 1500 of loss. From 10000 to 13310 in 3 years total return is 33.10%, and the helper CAGR, compound annual growth rate, is 10%, because 1.10^3 = 1.331.
Type Starting value and Ending value. Time horizon sits behind a toggle with a years or months list when you want CAGR as a helper. Inflation needs a horizon and shows real total return, not real CAGR. The 10000 and 12500 placeholders are the first example.
CAGR next door makes annualizing the headline. IRR reads each year, so a deposit enters the formula. A real rate from a nominal rate and inflation, with no two values, uses Fisher.
A high +25% in one stretch says nothing about the next. Risk, drawdown, and volatility are not here. Real total return adjusts the whole gain for purchasing power; that is not the real CAGR on the sibling card.
Type 10000 and 12500. Check +25% and 2500. Then try 13310 and 3 years to see 33.10% and 10% CAGR.
How to use the calculator
- In Starting value, type the start, for example 10000. In Ending value, type the end, for example 12500.
- Click Calculate and read total return plus gain or loss. At 10000 and 12500 you should see +25% and 2500.
- Optionally turn on time horizon, type years or months, and read helper CAGR.
- Optionally turn on inflation (needs a horizon) to see real total return, not real CAGR.
- With deposits or withdrawals along the way, open IRR. When annualizing should be the headline, open CAGR.
Total return from a start and an end
Total return = (end − start) ÷ start. From 10000 to 12500 you get +25% and 2500 of gain. CAGR is only a helper when a horizon is on.
- total return
- The headline in this calculator. (12500 − 10000) / 10000 = +25%. From 10000 to 8500 you get −15% and −1500.
- CAGR
- Optional after a horizon, not the headline. From 10000 to 13310 in 3 years, total return is 33.10% and CAGR is 10.00%.
- inflation
- Optional real total return, not real CAGR. Needs a horizon. The headline stays with the total percent.
Usage examples
Example 2
- Starting value: 10,000
- Ending value: 8,500
Total return −15.00%
Gain/loss -1,500.00
Negative return - a loss of 1500; the model does not show whether it is a temporary dip or a trend.
Example 3
- Starting value: 10,000
- Ending value: 13,310
- Horizon: 3 years
Total return 33.10%
CAGR 10.00%
Over 3 years total return ≈33.10%, while CAGR ≈10%/year - annualisation assumes constant compound growth.
Example 4
- Starting value: 10,000
- Ending value: 13,310
- Horizon: 3 years
- Inflation: 3%
Total return 33.10%
Annualised (CAGR) 10.00%
Real total return ≈21.81%
Three different metrics: total (no time), CAGR (annual pace), real total (whole return after inflation) - this is not real CAGR.
Example 5
- Start 10,000
- End 8,000
Total return −20.00%
What is the total return from 10,000 down to 8,000? Total return −20.00%.
Example 6
- Start 30,000
- End 40,000
Total return +33.33%
What is the total return from 30,000 up to 40,000? Total return +33.33%.
Related calculators
FAQ
What is the return from 10000 to 12500?
+25% and 2500 of gain. (12500 − 10000) ÷ 10000. This is a total return, not a CAGR.
What about 10000 to 8500?
−15% and 1500 of loss. The same quotient, just a lower end value.
What about 10000 to 13310 in 3 years?
Total return 33.10%, helper CAGR 10%, because 1.10^3 = 1.331.
How is this different from CAGR?
Here the headline has no time. CAGR spreads growth across flat years and is the headline on its own page.
Can I include deposits?
No. The model has one start and one end. Mid-period deposits belong to IRR.
How is real total return different from real CAGR?
Real total adjusts the whole gain by (1+inflation)^years. Real CAGR lives on the CAGR page or the real-rate page.
Does +25% promise a repeat?
No. The calculator does not show risk or volatility. It is a percent from two numbers.
Is a horizon required?
No. Without a horizon you get total return and the money amount. CAGR appears after you turn time on.
How do I read 3 years at 3% inflation and an end of 13310?
Start with 33.10% total. Real total on that card is about 21.81%, not a 10% real CAGR.
Does 2500 depend on the header currency?
2500 stays 2500. The symbol only labels the same difference.
Knowledge sources
Total return is (end − start) over start. This is not CAGR and not a filing.
Page updated in 2026.