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Investing tools

What changes if you invest your money over time?

Compare investing available capital now with investing it in equal monthly portions, including money still held in cash.

Both options start with the same money available today. A steady-return projection cannot predict market timing, volatility or which strategy will suit you.

Invest now or gradually inputs

Use the same currency throughout. Enter numbers without commas or currency symbols, for example 1000.50. Amounts allow two decimal places; rates allow six.

Your starting point

Already available today, not money you will earn later.
An effective annual return before the fees shown here. This is an assumption, not a forecast; returns can be negative.
An effective annual assumption. Cash earnings remain in cash and are included in total value.
Use a whole number from 1 to 600. For 5 years, enter 60.

Your gradual investment

From 1 to 120, no longer than the comparison period. The first portion is invested immediately.

Calculate once. After that, valid edits update your result automatically.

Understand this estimate

Both options start with the same money available today. A steady-return projection cannot predict market timing, volatility or which strategy will suit you.

Worked example

With 1000 available, a steady 21% annual return and 0% on cash, investing now gives 1210 after 12 months. Investing half now and half one month later gives about 1200.47.

How we calculate this

Immediate investing puts all capital to work at time zero. Gradual investing transfers an equal unrounded portion at the start of each of the chosen months, with the first at time zero.

After each transfer, investments and uninvested cash grow using their separate effective monthly factors. Cash earnings remain in cash. If negative cash returns reduce available capital, later transfers are capped at the cash available.

Compare investment plus remaining cash over the same horizon. Fractional cents are retained internally; no trading costs, taxes, volatility or extra contributions are included.

Sources explain the underlying concepts; this calculator uses the conventions described above. It does not recommend a financial product.

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