Free future value calculator
Future Value Calculator by Age: See What Your Money Could Be Worth at Every Age
Enter what you have, what you can invest, and how long your money has to grow. You will get a plain-English estimate, age-by-age milestones, and a clear breakdown of how much came from you versus investment growth.
Tell us what you plan to invest
This future value calculator requires no investing knowledge. Each question explains exactly what to enter.
Saved in this browser
Available only on this device in this browser.You have not saved any scenarios in this browser.
Your estimated future value
Your money could grow to approximately
Stored only in this browser until you delete it or clear your browser data.
Where the ending balance comes from
See how much comes from the money you put in and how much comes from estimated investment growth.
How your money may grow
The gold line is the money you put in. The green line includes estimated investment growth.
Your money at different ages
Milestones are shown every five years and at your selected ending age.
| Your age | Money you added | Estimated growth | Estimated balance | In today’s dollars |
|---|
Year-by-year investment growth schedule
Follow the estimated balance from one age to the next, similar to an amortization schedule for an investment.
Show the complete annual schedule
Growth is the estimated change during that year after subtracting contributions made during the year. Actual investment results will not grow this evenly.
| Year | Age | Beginning balance | Contributions | Estimated growth | Ending balance | In today’s dollars |
|---|
See a range—not just one answer
Actual returns will change from year to year. These three estimates show how strongly a long-term return assumption can affect the result.
Small differences in assumed returns become much larger over long periods. Use the range for perspective rather than treating the highest number as a forecast.
What could change your result?
These automatic comparisons show how time and small contribution changes may affect the same ending age.
Potential money milestones
See approximately when your projected balance first crosses major levels.
What could that balance mean as retirement income?
These are simple annual-withdrawal illustrations—not a personalized retirement plan.
This future value calculator provides hypothetical estimates for educational purposes. It assumes a steady average return even though real investments rise and fall, sometimes sharply. Results do not include taxes unless reflected indirectly in your inputs, and they do not guarantee future performance. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
How to use this future value calculator
You do not need to know a financial formula. Start with numbers you understand today, then use the comparisons to test what might happen if you invest more, wait longer, or earn a different average return.
Add your current age and the amount already invested. Zero is a perfectly valid starting balance.
Choose a realistic recurring amount, ending age, and estimated average annual return.
Compare contributions, estimated growth, age milestones, today’s buying power, and alternative outcomes.
If you also want a present-day checkpoint, compare your balance with the realistic ranges in How Much Should You Have Invested by Age?
What the calculator is telling you
The future value calculator separates the estimate into the money you contribute and the potential growth produced by compounding. That makes the result easier to understand than one unexplained ending number.
The money you already have invested at the beginning of the calculation.
The additional money you plan to invest between your current age and ending age.
The estimated amount earned from compounding after subtracting the optional annual fee you entered.
Your starting balance, future contributions, and estimated investment growth added together.
A future-value estimate shows a possible destination; it does not decide how your money should be divided among investments. For independent education on that decision, see Investor.gov’s guide to asset allocation and diversification.
What return should you use in a future value calculator?
No one knows what an investment will return in the future. That is why this calculator provides 6%, 8%, and 10% examples plus a custom option. The choices are not labels for specific investments and are not predictions.
- 6% provides a lower-growth long-term illustration.
- 8% provides a middle illustration and is the calculator’s starting example.
- 10% provides a higher-growth illustration that may substantially increase long-range estimates.
- Custom lets you test another assumption, including decimals such as 7.5% or 8.25%.
A useful plan should not depend entirely on the most optimistic result. Compare several rates and pay attention to what you can control: how early you begin, how consistently you contribute, how much you save, and what you pay in fees.
If you are still deciding what belongs in a beginner portfolio, read Index Funds vs. Stocks for Beginners and the EDG guide to choosing ETFs and mutual funds.
Future dollars versus today’s buying power
A future balance may look large, but inflation can reduce what that money buys. This future value calculator shows the estimated account balance in “future dollars.” The “today’s buying power” view discounts that balance using the inflation assumption so you can compare it more easily with prices today.
Inflation adjustments are still estimates. The cost of housing, health care, food, and other expenses may not change at the same rate.
How the calculation works
The calculator converts weekly, biweekly, monthly, or yearly contributions into an equivalent monthly amount. It applies an effective monthly growth rate based on your annual return assumption, subtracts any annual fee entered, and adds contributions at the end of each month. If you choose an annual contribution increase, that increase begins after each completed year.
Even small recurring costs can materially reduce a long-term balance. Investor.gov’s Understanding Fees guide explains common investment costs and why they matter.
This steady-growth method makes a long-term estimate easier to understand, but actual market returns are uneven. A portfolio can gain or lose money in any individual year, and the order of those returns can matter when money is withdrawn.
Frequently asked questions
Does Every Dollar Grows save the numbers I enter?
No. Your calculator entries are processed in your browser and are not sent to or stored by Every Dollar Grows. If you deliberately choose “Save to this browser,” the scenario is stored in that browser’s local storage on that device. It can disappear if you clear browser data or use private browsing. Standard website analytics may record that this page was visited, but not the ages, balances, contribution amounts, or return assumptions entered into the calculator.
Is an 8% annual return guaranteed?
No. Eight percent is only an illustration. Investments do not earn the same return every year, and they can lose value. Test multiple assumptions and avoid building a plan that works only with the highest rate.
How accurate is this future value calculator?
Its math follows the ages, contribution schedule, return, fee, and inflation assumptions you enter. Its result is still an illustration because actual investment returns are uneven and cannot be predicted in advance.
What should I enter if I have not invested anything yet?
Enter $0 as your starting balance. The calculator will show how recurring contributions could grow from zero.
Should I include my employer’s 401(k) match?
Yes, if you reasonably expect to receive it. Add your own expected contribution and the employer contribution together, then enter the combined amount using the frequency that is easiest for you to calculate.
Why does the calculator show a range of results?
The ending value is highly sensitive to the assumed return, especially over several decades. Showing 6%, 8%, and 10% outcomes makes that uncertainty visible instead of hiding it behind one impressive number.
Does the estimate include taxes?
No. Tax treatment depends on the type of account, the investments held, withdrawals, and your individual situation. The calculator also does not assume a tax deduction or tax-free withdrawal.
What happens when I enter investment fees?
The annual fee is subtracted from the annual return assumption before growth is calculated. For example, an 8% assumed return and a 0.25% annual fee produce an estimated net return of approximately 7.75% for this calculation.
Can I use this as a retirement calculator?
You can use it to estimate how an investment balance may grow through a chosen age. It does not replace a full retirement plan because it does not model Social Security, pensions, taxes, changing expenses, required withdrawals, or the risk of poor returns near retirement.
Turn the estimate into a practical next step
A future value calculator can show what might happen, but your investment choices and consistent contributions are what move the number. Continue with an EDG guide or explore another free planning tool.