Finance

How the Future Value of a Lumpsum Investment Is Calculated

A lumpsum's future value is its present value multiplied by (1 + rate)^years — the same compound-growth formula behind compound interest, applied here to any investment with an expected annual rate of return.

A worked example: ₹1,00,000 growing at 8% for 10 years

₹1,00,000 invested today, growing at 8% annually for 10 years, becomes ₹2,15,892.50 — a total growth of ₹1,15,892.50, more than the original amount invested.

The formula: FV = PV × (1 + r)^years

The present value compounds by the growth factor (1 + rate) raised to the power of the number of years — each year's growth builds on the previous year's already-grown amount, which is what makes the total growth exceed a simple year-by-year multiplication of the rate.

A shorter, higher-return example: ₹2,50,000 at 10% for 5 years

₹2,50,000 growing at 10% for just 5 years reaches ₹4,02,627.50 — a smaller absolute growth (₹1,52,627.50) than the first example despite a higher rate, since a shorter time horizon gives compounding fewer years to work.

Why this only works for a single lumpsum

This formula assumes one amount invested once, with no further contributions along the way — a fundamentally different (and more complex) calculation applies to a stream of regular monthly investments, which the SIP Calculator handles instead.

What this doesn't account for

This is a nominal future value — it doesn't adjust for inflation eroding purchasing power over the same period. The Inflation-Adjusted Value Calculator shows what a future nominal amount is actually worth in today's terms.