Starting balance, monthly contributions and return: see how much you’ll have and how much of it is interest.
With compound interest, each period’s interest is added to the balance and earns interest itself. That’s why growth speeds up over time: time is what matters most.
The calculator compounds at the frequency you choose and adds contributions at the end of each month.
Final balance = P·(1 + r/m)^(m·t) + compounded contributions
What you expect long term, after fees. To see it in today’s money, subtract expected inflation (e.g. 6% − 2% = 4%).
A shortcut: divide 72 by the annual return to see how many years it takes your money to double. At 6%, about 12 years.