Tulnest

ROI Calculator

Calculate total ROI and annualised return (CAGR) for any investment given its initial value, final value and holding period. Handles gains and losses.

Annualised return (CAGR)
10.52%
Over 3.00 years
Total ROI
35.00%
Profit
3,500.00

Calculate the return on an investment in two ways: total ROI (the percentage gain over the entire holding period) and annualised return / CAGR (what equivalent annual rate would have produced the same result). CAGR is the better number for comparing investments held for different lengths of time — a 50% return in 2 years is very different from 50% in 20.

Works for stocks, real estate, side-businesses, anything with a clear start and end value. Negative returns are handled correctly and shown as a loss.

How to use

  1. Enter the initial investment (what you put in) and the final value (what it's worth now or what you sold it for).
  2. Enter the holding period and pick the unit — years, months or days.
  3. The headline number is the annualised return (CAGR), which lets you compare investments held for different periods on equal footing.
  4. Total ROI and absolute profit / loss are shown below for context.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between ROI and CAGR?
ROI is the total percentage return over the entire holding period. CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is the equivalent constant annual rate that would have produced the same final value. CAGR is usually the better number for comparing investments held for different lengths of time.
Why is CAGR lower than total ROI for a multi-year investment?
Because CAGR is annualised. A 50% total return over 5 years is about 8.45% per year compounded — much smaller than 50% but a fairer benchmark.
Does this calculator handle losses?
Yes. Enter a final value lower than the initial value and the result will be a negative ROI and CAGR.

Related tools