Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) Calculator
The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is a metric that measures the average annual rate of return of an investment over a specified period of time greater than one year. It represents the smoothed-out rate of return, assuming that profits were reinvested at the end of each year during the investment period. CAGR is a useful tool for understanding how an investment has performed historically and for comparing the performance of different investments.
Result:
Understanding CAGR
CAGR is calculated using the following formula:
CAGR = ( (Ending Value / Starting Value) ^ (1 / Number of Years) ) – 1
Where:
- Ending Value: The value of the investment at the end of the period.
- Starting Value: The value of the investment at the beginning of the period.
- Number of Years: The total number of years the investment was held.
CAGR is a valuable metric because it smooths out volatility and provides a single, representative annual growth rate. This makes it easier to compare investments with different time horizons and risk profiles. For example, if an investment grew from $10,000 to $15,000 over 5 years, its CAGR would indicate the consistent annual growth rate that would have resulted in that final value.