Choose a starting amount, contribution pattern, time horizon, and annual growth assumption. SmartFin shows the mathematical result under those settings.
Under these settings, the modeled ending balance is $102,422 after 10 years. You contributed $60,000, and modeled growth accounts for $42,422.
Inputs: DCA: $500 a month for 10 years; 10% assumed annual growth; 10 years; no inflation adjustment.
A $500 contribution goes in at the end of every month, 120 in all. Earlier contributions have more time in the projection, so they account for more of the $42,422 of growth.
Lump sum starts with the selected amount at the start and leaves it invested for the modeled period. DCA adds a fixed contribution on the schedule you pick: weekly, monthly or quarterly. Step-up DCA raises the contribution by the selected percentage at the start of each new year.
Starting amount, contribution pattern, growth assumption, time horizon, and any inflation setting all affect the result. Here is the same plan at each growth rate on the page:
| Annual growth | Modeled ending balance | Modeled growth |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | $77,641 | $17,641 |
| 8% | $91,473 | $31,473 |
| 10% (your inputs) | $102,422 | $42,422 |
| 15% | $137,609 | $77,609 |
The calculator applies the rate you enter according to its rules. It does not know what future market returns will be. Every year grows at exactly the same rate, so the uneven returns of a real market, and the order they arrive in, are not part of the result.
Taxes, fund fees and trading costs are not subtracted. With Adjust for inflation on, the ending balance is also shown in today’s money.
$500 a month for 10 years at an assumed 10% a year has a modeled ending balance of $102,422 after 10 years, of which $42,422 is modeled growth. The result uses the inputs shown and the method described on this page. It excludes taxes, fees and trading costs, and it is a projection under a fixed rate, not a forecast. Reproduce the calculation here: https://smartfin.fyi/investment-calculator.html?tabDcaBtn=1&years=10&rateSegment=10&dcaAmount=500&dcaFrequency=monthly&inflationToggle=0.
Lump sum puts the selected starting capital into the calculation at once. DCA spreads contributions across scheduled dates. At a steady 10% a year, money put in earlier has longer to grow: the $60,000 contributed here ends at $102,422, while the same $60,000 invested at the start ends at $155,625.
No. Taxes, fund fees and trading costs are not modeled, so the $102,422 is before all of them. Inflation is reflected only in the today’s-money figure, when Adjust for inflation is on.
Not in this calculator: it applies the same rate every year. SmartFin's Stock Returns Over Time page replays a lump sum or monthly investing on an asset’s actual price history, where the order of good and bad years matters.