Project an education fund from current balance, monthly contributions, and return.

5,000 today plus 200 a month at a 6% annual return, held for 15 years, projects to roughly 70,400. Of that, 41,000 comes from contributions and 26,150 from compound growth — a meaningful cushion against rising education costs. Adding a 50 monthly step-up after year 5 (as income grows) often makes the difference between partial and full funding.

How to use it

Enter what's already saved, the monthly contribution, an expected annual return (6-7% is typical for a diversified equity-heavy portfolio over long horizons), and the number of years until the money's needed.

What the result means

Primary is projected future value. Secondary shows total contributions, compound growth, and monthly contribution equivalent over the period. Compare it to expected education costs; if short, the options are: raise contributions, extend timeline, raise return assumption (with more risk), or plan to use income to top up at the time.

What this doesn't model

Inflation in education costs. Private school fees have risen faster than general inflation — if that trend continues, a projection in today's units undershoots actual bills. Adjust the target cost upward rather than the return rate.

A worked example

Try the defaults: current balance of 5,000, monthly contribution of 200, annual return of 6%, years until needed of 15 years. The tool returns 70,434.21. 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 Current Balance, Monthly Contribution, Annual Return, and Years Until Needed. 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.

The formula behind this

Future value of a starting balance plus monthly contributions, both compounding at the annual rate converted to monthly. Assumes end-of-month contributions — the standard for regular investment plans. Everything the calculator does is shown in the formula box below, so you can check the math against your own spreadsheet if you want.

Turning the result into a plan

A projection is just a starting point. The real work is setting the monthly amount aside automatically so the saving happens before you can spend it. Most people who hit savings goals set up a standing order on payday; most who miss them rely on willpower at month-end.

What this doesn't capture

The calculation assumes a steady savings rate and a stable interest rate. Real saving journeys include emergencies, windfalls, and rate changes — especially in easy-access products. The figure is a direction of travel, not a guarantee.