Thrivent Financial Bank

Compound Interest and Your Return

How interest is calculated can greatly affect your savings. The more often interest is compounded, or added to your account, the more you earn. This calculator demonstrates how compounding can affect your savings, and how interest on your interest really adds up!

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Definitions

Investment Amount

The amount of your initial investment.

Interest Rate

The annual interest rate for your investment. The actual rate of return is largely dependent on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2007, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.4% per year (source: www.standardandpoors.com). During this period, the highest 12-month return was 61%, and the lowest was -39%. Savings accounts at a bank may pay as little as 1% or less.

It is important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are generally subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment. It is not possible to invest directly in an index and the compounded rate of return noted above does not reflect sales charges and other fees that funds and/or investment companies may charge.

Compound Interest

Interest on an investment's interest, plus previous interest. The more frequently this occurs, the sooner your accumulated interest will generate additional interest. You should check with your financial institution to find out how often interest is being compounded on your particular investment.

Years

Number of years for this investment.

Yearly APY

Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded yearly.

Quarterly APY

Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded quarterly.

Monthly APY

Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded monthly.

Daily APY

Annual percentage yield received if your investment is compounded daily.

These interactive calculators are not intended to provide or replace specific professional financial advice. We cannot and do not guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your individual circumstances. All examples are hypothetical, are for illustrative purposes only, and may differ from more in depth analysis results. They do not represent the past performance of any specific product, nor should they be viewed as a promise of future results of any product offered by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans or its affiliates. We encourage you to seek personalized analysis regarding all personal finance issues.