Project family wealth across three generations at a constant compound return.

100,000 compounded at 5% for 90 years (three 30-year generations) reaches roughly 8.65 million — an 87× multiple. The catch is maintaining the compounding: withdrawals, poor investment decisions, tax events, or splits across heirs each break the compound chain. Multi-generational wealth requires discipline more than initial capital.

How to use it

Enter the starting wealth, expected compound return rate, and generation length (25-30 years is typical). The tool shows projected values at the end of generation 1, 2, and 3.

What the result means

Primary is the generation 3 value. Secondary shows each intermediate milestone and the multiple on starting wealth. Even modest rates compound impressively over such long horizons.

What breaks compounding

Withdrawals to fund lifestyles (most families). Poor diversification and single-stock bets (concentration risk). Taxes on each generational transfer (inheritance tax in many jurisdictions). Equal splits across multiple heirs (dilutes the compounding base). Realistic projections require accounting for these.

Quick example

With starting wealth of 100,000 and annual return of 5% (plus generation length of 30 years), the result is 8,073,036.50. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.

Which inputs matter most

You enter Starting Wealth, Annual Return, and Generation Length. Not every input has equal weight. Flip one at a time toward extreme values to feel which ones move the needle most for your situation.

What's happening under the hood

Standard compound growth over three generations. Ignores taxes on generational transfers, consumption, and distribution across heirs — all of which reduce real outcomes. Useful as an illustration of compounding power, not a guarantee of family wealth trajectory. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.

The annual review habit

Plug new numbers in every year. Income changes, expenses shift, markets move. A plan that isn't revisited quietly drifts out of date. This tool is cheap to re-run — so re-run it.

What this doesn't capture

Real plans get re-run against new information every year or two. The result here is a reasonable direction, not a destination. Treat it as a starting point for thinking, not a commitment to a specific future.