Total Return Calculator
Portfolio total return.
Calculate total return on your portfolio including reinvested dividends, contributions, and CAGR across any investment period.
What this tool does
This calculator estimates your portfolio's annualised total return by accounting for the value gained or lost, plus dividends earned, minus new money you added over a specified period. It shows the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of your investment, removing the distortion caused by deposits made during the holding period. The result is expressed as a percentage return per year. The calculation uses your starting portfolio value, ending value, total dividends received, and the amount of contributions added to arrive at a time-weighted figure. This output helps illustrate how your portfolio performed independently of your own cash flows. The calculator assumes dividends were retained in the portfolio and does not account for fees, taxes, or market timing effects.
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Formula Used
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Disclaimer
Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Total return = capital appreciation + dividends/income, annualised. 10k starting + 2k dividends + ending value 15k - 1k contributions = 6k total return. On 10k starting: 60% total return. Over 5 years: 9.86% annualised. Includes both price gain and income for true performance measurement.
10k start, 15k end, 2k dividends, 1k contributions, 5 years. Total return: 15k - 10k - 1k + 2k = 6k. Total return %: 60%. Annualised: 9.86%. Compare to S&P 500 long-term return ~10%. Strong portfolio performance if benchmarks are similar.
Many investors miss dividends in performance calculations - massive understatement. S&P 500 1990-2020: 7.2% price return vs 9.9% total return. Dividends added 2.7%/year compounded. Reinvested dividends turn into 75% of long-term wealth from equity investing. Dividends belong in performance calculations.
A worked example
With the defaults: starting portfolio value of 10,000, ending portfolio value of 15,000, dividends received of 2,000, contributions added of 1,000. The tool returns 9.86%. You can adjust any input and the result updates as you type — no submit button, no reload. That's the real power here: seeing how sensitive the output is to one or two assumptions.
What moves the number most
The result responds to Starting Portfolio Value, Ending Portfolio Value, Dividends Received, Contributions Added, and Years. Not every input has equal weight. Adjusting one input at a time toward extreme values shows which ones move the result most.
The formula behind this
Total return = end - start - contributions + dividends. Total return % = TR ÷ start × 100. Annualized = (1 + TR%)^(1/years) - 1. Everything the calculator does is shown in the formula box below, so you can check the math against your own spreadsheet if you want.
Using this well
What this doesn't capture
This is a simplified model that holds its assumptions constant. Real outcomes vary with market conditions, costs, taxes, and timing, so the figure is best read as one scenario rather than a forecast.
(£15,000 - £10,000 - £1,000 + £2,000) ÷ £10,000 over 5y = 9.86%.
Inputs
This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.
Sources & Methodology
Methodology
This calculator computes total return by taking the ending portfolio value, subtracting the starting value and any contributions made, then adding back dividends received. This net figure is divided by the starting value and multiplied by 100 to express the result as a percentage. The model assumes all contributions occur at the beginning and are treated uniformly; it does not account for the timing of individual deposits or withdrawals during the period. Dividends are assumed to have been received in full without tax implications. The calculation does not model fees, market volatility, or the sequence in which returns occurred. Annualized return applies the compound growth formula to express the total return as an equivalent annual rate over the specified period.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Why subtract contributions?
Time-weighted vs money-weighted?
Include taxes?
Benchmark comparison?
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