Money & mortgage
Explore compound growth, investment returns, 401(k) contributions, retirement savings, and the effect of inflation on future purchasing power.
Calculator set
Open a calculator for an immediate estimate, then use its method notes, examples, limits, and sources to understand the result.
Understand, then calculate
Long-term projections depend heavily on time, contribution consistency, fees, taxes, inflation, and the return assumption. A small change can compound into a large difference.
Build several scenarios instead of relying on one forecast: conservative, expected, and optimistic. Compare all of them in today’s purchasing power.
Identify the decision first, then open the calculator that answers it.
Understand the recurring inputs and results instead of reading only the final number.
Choose with context
Use these distinctions to move through the Investing & retirement tools without comparing unrelated results.
Use compound interest to model a balance with recurring growth.
Use investment return to compare an opening value with an ending value.
Add inflation and retirement contributions when the decision spans many years.
Common questions
These answers explain how to use the estimates and where their limits begin.
Use a range rather than assuming one certain rate, and remember that investment returns are not guaranteed.
A future balance may be larger in dollars while buying less. Inflation-adjusted results make long-term goals easier to compare.