ROI (Return on Investment) is a simple measure of profit or loss relative to the money invested, usually shown as a percentage.

How does CAGR differ from simple ROI?

CAGR is an annualized rate that shows the steady yearly growth between two values. Simple ROI only shows total percentage gain or loss over the full period.

Yes — dollar amounts are calculated to the cent and displayed with two decimal places so CSV exports reconcile precisely.

ROI Calculator

Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator

Results

Enter values and press Calculate.

ROI Definitions — SEO-friendly, original, and helpful

Clear, plagiarism-free definitions designed both for users and search engines. These explain the metrics shown by this calculator and help you pick the right measure for your situation.

Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI measures how much money you gained or lost relative to the money you invested. The simple ROI shown here is (Final value − Initial investment − Net contributions + Distributions) ÷ Initial investment. It is presented as a percentage and also as a dollar amount (gain or loss).

Dollar Gain / Loss

This is the net cash change: Final value − Initial investment − Net contributions + Distributions. It answers the direct question: “How much money did I make (or lose)?” All dollar results are shown to the cent for precise accounting.

Annualized Return (CAGR)

CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) measures the average annual growth rate that takes you from the beginning value to the ending value over the measurement period, expressed as a percentage per year. When there are additional contributions or withdrawals during the period, CAGR is an approximation unless those flows happen at the interval endpoints. For irregular cash flows, use an IRR/XIRR tool — this calculator gives an honest, easy-to-understand annualized rate for common scenarios.

Exact period (years + months)

When you enter start and end dates this tool calculates the exact elapsed time and displays it as years + months (for example 2 years 4 months) so annualized returns are computed using the precise fractional year length.

When to use simple ROI vs. annualized return

Use simple ROI for a quick sense of profit or loss. Use annualized return (CAGR) when comparing investments of different durations — it normalizes returns to a per-year basis. If you have many irregular cash flows, compute an IRR/XIRR for the truest picture.

Why cent-accurate results matter

Financial reporting and spreadsheet imports depend on consistent, cent-accurate numbers. This calculator computes dollars to the cent and produces downloadable CSV that matches displayed totals exactly.