Planted North

Tools · Growth calculator

What small deposits could become

The first ten years look like nothing. That is the part people quit. Put in your own numbers and see where the growth actually shows up.

BetaIllustration, not a forecastYour numbers stay on your deviceEducational, not financial advice

Your numbers

Change anything. The result updates as you type.

$
$
Average yearly return

Nobody knows the real number. Try all three and plan around the cautious one.

Could grow to about
$218,000

You put in
Growth did
$140,000
Halfway point
Year 21
Slow for years, then it bends
BalanceWhat you put in
Show the numbers as a table

Assumes a constant yearly return, monthly compounding and deposits at the end of each month. Real returns move up and down, some years are negative, and nothing is guaranteed. Fees, taxes and inflation are not included.

How to read this

The dotted line is the money you put in. It climbs in a straight line. The solid line is your balance. For years the two stay close together, and it can feel like nothing is happening.

Then the growth starts to earn its own growth, and the lines pull apart. Most of the final amount shows up in the last third of the time. That is why the hard part is staying, not picking.

Real markets never move this smoothly. This is a way to see the shape, not a promise about the number.

Your move · 10 minutes

Start the first ring

  1. Pick an amount you would not miss. Small is fine.
  2. Set an automatic transfer for the day after payday, so it moves before you can spend it.
  3. Put a note in your calendar to raise it a little once a year.
Go deeperLesson: Build the habitTool: Fee calculatorTool: TFSA room calculatorAll tools
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Sources and method

Where this comes from

  • The calculation is Planted North's own. With the starting numbers ($50 a week, 30 years, 6%) it gives about $218,000, the same as the calculator on the home page.
  • The three return choices are examples for comparison. They are not forecasts and not based on any fund.
  • To see what a yearly fee does to the same deposits, use the fee calculator.