Calculating the Internal Rate of Return

Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Calculator

The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is a metric used in capital budgeting to estimate the profitability of potential investments. It is the discount rate that makes the net present value (NPV) of all cash flows from a particular project equal to zero. In simpler terms, it's the expected annual rate of return that an investment is projected to generate.

function calculateIRR() { var initialInvestment = parseFloat(document.getElementById("initialInvestment").value); var cashFlowsInput = document.getElementById("cashFlows").value; if (isNaN(initialInvestment)) { document.getElementById("irr-result").innerHTML = "Please enter a valid initial investment."; return; } var cashFlowsArray = []; if (cashFlowsInput) { var flows = cashFlowsInput.split(','); for (var i = 0; i < flows.length; i++) { var flow = parseFloat(flows[i]); if (isNaN(flow)) { document.getElementById("irr-result").innerHTML = "Please enter valid comma-separated cash flows."; return; } cashFlowsArray.push(flow); } } else { document.getElementById("irr-result").innerHTML = "Please enter at least one cash flow."; return; } // Combine initial investment (as a negative cash flow) with subsequent cash flows var allCashFlows = [-initialInvestment].concat(cashFlowsArray); // Simple IRR calculation using Newton-Raphson method for approximation // This is a simplified implementation and might not converge for all cases. // More robust libraries or iterative methods might be needed for complex scenarios. var guess = 0.1; // Initial guess for IRR var maxIterations = 100; var tolerance = 0.00001; var irr = 0; for (var i = 0; i < maxIterations; i++) { var npv = 0; var derivative = 0; for (var t = 0; t < allCashFlows.length; t++) { npv += allCashFlows[t] / Math.pow(1 + guess, t); derivative -= t * allCashFlows[t] / Math.pow(1 + guess, t + 1); } if (Math.abs(npv) < tolerance) { irr = guess; break; } if (derivative === 0) { // Avoid division by zero document.getElementById("irr-result").innerHTML = "Could not converge. Derivative is zero."; return; } guess -= npv / derivative; } if (i === maxIterations) { document.getElementById("irr-result").innerHTML = "IRR calculation did not converge within the maximum number of iterations."; } else { document.getElementById("irr-result").innerHTML = "Estimated Internal Rate of Return (IRR): " + (irr * 100).toFixed(2) + "%"; } } #irr-calculator-wrapper { font-family: sans-serif; border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; max-width: 500px; margin: 20px auto; background-color: #f9f9f9; } #irr-calculator-wrapper h2 { text-align: center; color: #333; margin-bottom: 20px; } .calculator-inputs .input-group { margin-bottom: 15px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; } .calculator-inputs label { margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; color: #555; } .calculator-inputs input[type="number"], .calculator-inputs input[type="text"] { padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 1rem; } #irr-calculator-wrapper button { display: block; width: 100%; padding: 12px; background-color: #007bff; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 1.1rem; cursor: pointer; transition: background-color 0.3s ease; margin-top: 15px; } #irr-calculator-wrapper button:hover { background-color: #0056b3; } .calculator-result { margin-top: 20px; padding: 15px; background-color: #e9ecef; border: 1px solid #ced4da; border-radius: 4px; text-align: center; font-size: 1.1rem; color: #333; }

Example:

Let's say you are considering an investment with an initial cost of $5,000. You project the following net cash inflows over the next three years: Year 1: $1,500, Year 2: $2,000, Year 3: $2,500.

To calculate the IRR:

  1. Initial Investment: 5000
  2. Cash Flows: 1500, 2000, 2500

Using the calculator, you would input '5000' for the Initial Investment and '1500,2000,2500' for the Cash Flows. The calculator will then estimate the IRR.

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