Simple compound growth method


Simple compound growth method

Calculating a growth rate by relating terminal value to initial value and assuming a constant percentage annual rate of growth between the two values.

Compound Annual Return

The average year-on-year growth rate of an investment over a number of years. While investments usually do not grow at a constant rate, the compound annual return smoothes out returns by assuming constant growth. This makes accounting for the investment tidier. It is calculated as:

Compound annual return = (Ending Value / Beginning Value)^((1 / n) - 1) where n is the length of time of the investment in years. It is also called the compound annual growth rate. See also: Average Annual Growth Rate.