Leave it alone for ten years — then what?

Compound interest

Estimate how a sum with monthly top-ups grows — plus three things that are easy to overlook: the compounding period, how much is interest versus what you put in, and buying power after inflation.

Why this tool exists

What’s easy to miss

Same rate, two results

Two savings accounts with the same quoted annual rate but different compounding periods end up with different results. The tool shows the effective annual rate for the method you chose, not just the quoted number.

The number that makes compounding click

Beyond the final amount, look at how much of it is interest. The longer the horizon, the more room interest has to grow — as long as the return and contributions hold as assumed.

Money in twenty years isn't today's money

The tool converts the final figure to today’s buying power using the inflation rate you enter. Without that step, future money looks bigger than what it can actually buy.

How it works

What you enter, what you get back

  1. You enter

    The money you have, the monthly top-up, the years you will hold it, the annual rate and how often interest compounds (monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, yearly).

  2. It runs period by period

    Contributions earn interest for exactly the part of the period they were actually in — paying in at the start of a month earns one month more than at the end.

  3. You read

    The final amount, how much you put in versus interest, the effective annual rate, roughly how long it takes the starting sum to double under these assumptions, the value in today’s buying power, and a year-by-year table.

What the tool doesn’t account for

  • The rate you enter is an assumption, not a promised return. For deposits, the real result also depends on the bank’s terms and how it calculates interest.
  • Results are before tax and fees.
  • Real banks accrue interest daily, and term deposits usually do not accept top-ups mid-term.
Sample table

Reading a sample result

One made-up scenario: what the tool returns, and how to read it.

These are illustrative figures, not anyone’s real data. The assumptions are set deliberately high so they match no one’s situation, and are calculated with the app’s own formulas to show how to read the results.

This is not financial advice, nor an offer to lend or invest. To work out your own situation, use the tool in the app.

Sample figures — deliberately inflated

Assumed inputs

Money you have now
7,777,000,000 ₫
Added every month
333,000,000 ₫
Interest rate
13.7% a year
Compounding
Every 6 months
Paid in at
End of month
Held for
25 years
Inflation
4.4% a year
After 25 years1,007,428,169,291 ₫
Money you put in107,677,000,000 ₫
Interest share89.3%
Effective annual rate14.17% a year
Under these assumptions, the starting sum doubles in about5.2 years
In today's money343,321,991,924 ₫

How the money grows

A few milestones across 25 years — not every year.

YearPut in so farInterest so farYear-end balanceIn today's money
Year 111,773,000,000 ₫1,356,762,426 ₫13,129,762,426 ₫12,576,400,792 ₫
Year 527,757,000,000 ₫15,521,212,261 ₫43,278,212,261 ₫34,895,290,591 ₫
Year 1047,737,000,000 ₫64,404,610,169 ₫112,141,610,169 ₫72,905,753,169 ₫
Year 1567,717,000,000 ₫178,002,233,846 ₫245,719,233,846 ₫128,804,688,755 ₫
Year 2087,697,000,000 ₫417,129,133,727 ₫504,826,133,727 ₫213,369,262,428 ₫
Year 25107,677,000,000 ₫899,751,169,291 ₫1,007,428,169,291 ₫343,321,991,924 ₫

Swipe sideways to see the whole table.

Same 13.7% a year, different compounding

No inflation adjustment; same money, same 25 years.

CompoundingEffective rateFinal balanceMore than yearly
Monthly14.59% a year1,084,065,101,739 ₫154,384,116,663 ₫
Every 3 months14.42% a year1,051,943,526,898 ₫122,262,541,822 ₫
Every 6 months14.17% a year1,007,428,169,291 ₫77,747,184,215 ₫
Yearly13.70% a year929,680,985,076 ₫0 ₫

Swipe sideways to see the whole table.

The highlighted row is the compounding used in the table above.

Work it out for your own situation

In the app you can change every assumption and see the result update right away.

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