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Compound growth calculator (with fees)

Project a starting amount plus monthly contributions, after fees, and see how much of the result you put in and how much came from growth.

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Future value

Live
$0
Total contributed
$0
Total growth
$0

At 4.5% after fees for 25 years, contributions of $500/month grow to $291,868 — of which $136,868 is growth.

How it grows

ContributionsGrowthTotal value

At 4.5% after fees for 25 years, contributions of $500/month grow to $291,868 — of which $136,868 is growth, not your money. Time, not timing, did most of that work.

Show assumptions

End-of-month contributions, monthly compounding. No taxes applied.

Return 5.2 % a year before fees, fees 0.7 %, so 4.5 % a year after fees — constant every year; real returns vary.

Reference: FP Canada / IFP Projection Assumption Guidelines 2026 (before fees).

Hypothetical illustration — not a projection of any specific product. Past returns don't predict future returns.

Illustrative and educational only — not financial, tax, or legal advice, and not a guarantee. Returns are not guaranteed. Verify all figures against current rules and actual product illustrations.

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What compounding means

Compound growth is growth earned on earlier growth. In the first years most of an account's value is the money you put in. Over longer periods the growth on growth takes over, and it can end up larger than everything you contributed. The longer the time and the steadier the contributions, the bigger the growth part becomes.

Value at the end = what you put in + the growth on it. This calculator shows both parts, so you can see where the result comes from.

Why fees matter

A fee is taken every year, so it compounds too. One percentage point of fees over 25 or 30 years can take a large share of the final value. That is why this calculator always works with the return after fees: you set the return before fees and the fee, and it uses the difference.

Returns use the FP Canada 2026 projection guidelines and are shown after fees: Cautious 3.2 %, Balanced 4.5 %, Growth 5.1 % a year. You can change the return and the fee; a higher figure is an optimistic scenario, not a forecast.

What this calculator shows

Enter a starting amount, a monthly contribution and the number of years. The calculator shows the future value, the total you contributed and the total growth, with a chart of how the account builds year by year.

The projection is before tax. In a TFSA the growth is tax-free; in an RRSP or FHSA the contributions are deductible; in a non-registered account the growth is taxed as you go. The account you choose changes what you keep.

A quick example of fees

$10,000 invested for 25 years at 5.2 % before fees grows to about $30,100 with a 0.7 % fee, but only about $22,000 with a 2 % fee. Same investments, same years — the difference is the fee. Ask what yours is: for a mutual fund or ETF it is the MER.

Common questions

What return should I assume?

The FP Canada 2026 guidelines support about 4.5 % a year after fees for a balanced (60/40) portfolio. Anything much higher should be treated as an optimistic scenario.

How much do fees change the result?

More than most people expect, because the fee is charged every year on the whole balance. Try the same numbers with a 0.5 % and a 2 % fee to see the difference.

Does it include tax?

No. It shows growth before tax. Whether you pay tax on that growth depends on the account — TFSA, RRSP, FHSA or non-registered.

Educational illustration, not advice. Talk to a licensed advisor about your situation.