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Investment Return Calculator

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Use this calculator to calculate the return for any period on

	your investment account/portfolio, or
	a single investment (stocks, real estate, etc.)

The calculator provides both total % return and annualized % return (internal rate of return).

Note: To get the return on your US$ investments in Canadian dollars, you must convert all amounts to Canadian dollars. Convert beginning and ending balances at the rate in effect as of the beginning and ending dates, and convert deposits and withdrawals at the rate in effect on the deposit and withdrawal dates. See Bank of Canada Exchange Rates to find the rates you need. Year end US exchange rates are available on our Foreign Exchange Rate History page.

Calculate returns on your investment account/portfolio:

	Enter the beginning market value, including any cash balances in the account, as of the start date.
	Enter the ending market value, including any cash balances in the account, as of the end date.
	Enter deposits you make to the account as positive amounts.
	Enter withdrawals you make from the account as negative amounts.
	Do not enter transactions made within the account, such as purchases, sales, dividends, etc. The only entries should be your deposits to and withdrawals from the account.

Calculate returns on a single investment:

	Enter the the start date and the value on that date. If this is the original purchase, enter the purchase date and purchase cost.
	Enter the end date and the value on that date.
	Enter the cost of additional purchases as positive amounts (deposits).
	Enter proceeds from sales as negative amounts (withdrawals), unless the entire investment is sold.
	If you have sold the entire investment, use the proceeds as the end value, and the date of sale as the end date.
	Income received from the investment should be entered as a negative amount on the date received.
	Expenses paid related to the investment should be entered as positive amounts on the date paid.

Return on Investment Calculation

Example of return on investment calculation

Beginning of year market value	A	$10,000
End of year market value	B	$11,000
Increase during the year B - A	C	$1,000
% return on investment C/A		10%

Above is a very simple example of course. The beginning of year value is the invested amount, and there are no deposits or withdrawals during the year.

When there have been deposits or withdrawals to the account during the year, then a weighted average invested amount must be calculated for A in the calculation formula. If a deposit of $500 was made on June 30th, 181 days after December 31st, then the weighted average invested amount (A) would be:

[$10,000 x 181 days + $10,500 x 184 days] / 365 days = $10,252.05

If the ending market value was still $11,000, then the % return is:

($11,000 - $10,500) / $10,252.05 = 4.9%

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Revised: October 26, 2023