Financial · Live
Project your future
wealth & growth.
Plan your financial future with our free savings calculator. See how your money grows over time with monthly contributions and compound interest — every number, the chart, and the year-by-year table update instantly.
Inputs
Plan your savings
Interest is compounded monthly. Contributions are added at the end of each month — the convention for automated payday transfers.
Final balance
after 30 yrs
Growth chart
Year by year
Schedule
Year-by-year breakdown
| Year | Start | Contributed | Interest | End balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y1 | $5,000.00 | $3,600.00 | $339.47 | $8,939.47 |
| Y2 | $8,939.47 | $3,600.00 | $541.02 | $13,080.48 |
| Y3 | $13,080.48 | $3,600.00 | $752.88 | $17,433.36 |
| Y4 | $17,433.36 | $3,600.00 | $975.58 | $22,008.94 |
| Y5 | $22,008.94 | $3,600.00 | $1,209.68 | $26,818.62 |
| Y6 | $26,818.62 | $3,600.00 | $1,455.75 | $31,874.37 |
| Y7 | $31,874.37 | $3,600.00 | $1,714.41 | $37,188.78 |
| Y8 | $37,188.78 | $3,600.00 | $1,986.31 | $42,775.08 |
| Y9 | $42,775.08 | $3,600.00 | $2,272.11 | $48,647.19 |
| Y10 | $48,647.19 | $3,600.00 | $2,572.54 | $54,819.73 |
| Y11 | $54,819.73 | $3,600.00 | $2,888.34 | $61,308.07 |
| Y12 | $61,308.07 | $3,600.00 | $3,220.29 | $68,128.36 |
| Y13 | $68,128.36 | $3,600.00 | $3,569.23 | $75,297.60 |
| Y14 | $75,297.60 | $3,600.00 | $3,936.02 | $82,833.62 |
| Y15 | $82,833.62 | $3,600.00 | $4,321.58 | $90,755.20 |
| Y16 | $90,755.20 | $3,600.00 | $4,726.87 | $99,082.07 |
| Y17 | $99,082.07 | $3,600.00 | $5,152.88 | $107,834.95 |
| Y18 | $107,834.95 | $3,600.00 | $5,600.70 | $117,035.65 |
| Y19 | $117,035.65 | $3,600.00 | $6,071.42 | $126,707.07 |
| Y20 | $126,707.07 | $3,600.00 | $6,566.23 | $136,873.30 |
| Y21 | $136,873.30 | $3,600.00 | $7,086.35 | $147,559.66 |
| Y22 | $147,559.66 | $3,600.00 | $7,633.09 | $158,792.75 |
| Y23 | $158,792.75 | $3,600.00 | $8,207.79 | $170,600.54 |
| Y24 | $170,600.54 | $3,600.00 | $8,811.90 | $183,012.44 |
| Y25 | $183,012.44 | $3,600.00 | $9,446.92 | $196,059.36 |
| Y26 | $196,059.36 | $3,600.00 | $10,114.43 | $209,773.79 |
| Y27 | $209,773.79 | $3,600.00 | $10,816.08 | $224,189.87 |
| Y28 | $224,189.87 | $3,600.00 | $11,553.64 | $239,343.51 |
| Y29 | $239,343.51 | $3,600.00 | $12,328.92 | $255,272.43 |
| Y30 | $255,272.43 | $3,600.00 | $13,143.88 | $272,016.31 |
Field guide
How long-term savings actually grow.
Saving money is a two-engine machine. The first engine is your own contribution — what you put in. The second is compound interest: interest earned on both your principal and on interest already credited. Over a few years the engines look similar in size; over a few decades the second engine quietly takes over.
The formula
With an initial deposit P, a monthly contribution PMT, an annual rate r (decimal), and k months elapsed, the end-of-month balance is:
We compound monthly and apply each contribution at the end of the month — the convention for direct-deposit and standing-order transfers. Total contributions equal P + PMT × 12 × years; total interest earned is the final balance minus that sum.
Worked example
Start with $5,000, add $300 a month, earn 5% a year, and let it run for 30 years:
- You contribute $5,000 + $108,000 = $113,000
- Interest earned grows to roughly $148,000
- Final balance lands near $261,000
More than half of the final number never came out of your pocket. That's the compounding engine and it gets disproportionately larger every additional year you let it run.
The three levers that matter
- Time. Each extra decade matters more than the one before it. Starting at 25 instead of 35 typically doubles the final balance, all else equal.
- Rate. A high-yield savings account at 4–5% beats a checking account at 0.01% by orders of magnitude over 20+ years.
- Contribution. Automating a fixed monthly transfer is the single best behavioral lever — what you don't see, you don't spend.
Choosing realistic inputs
- Cash savings: 0.5–5%. The top high-yield online banks track the federal funds rate.
- Bond-heavy portfolio: ~3–5% long-term nominal return.
- Diversified stock index: ~7–10% nominal, ~5–7% after inflation, based on a century of US market data.
What this calculator doesn't model
This is a clean projection, useful for goal-setting and comparison, not for tax planning. It assumes a constant rate of return and ignores taxes, fees, and inflation. Real-world results vary year to year and are rarely a smooth curve. For inflation-adjusted projections, pair this tool with our inflation calculator to see your final balance in today's dollars.
Disclaimer
For educational use. This is not investment, tax, or financial advice. Consult a licensed advisor before making decisions based on projections.