ROI Calculator — Investment ROI
Investment ROI measures the capital gain on money you put into an asset — stocks, a property, or a private deal — against the price you paid. Enter your cost basis, the value at sale or today, and the holding period in years to see both the total return and the annualized compound return, so a long hold and a quick flip can be judged on the same per-year basis. This page pre-fills a multi-year capital scenario.
Return on investment estimate
Return on investment
+60.00%
- Net gain
- $6,000
- Annualized ROI
- +9.86%
Result breakdown
ROI is the net gain divided by the initial cost. Add a holding period to see the annualized (compound-per-year) return.
Comparison arithmetic measured on the initial cost only — it ignores fees, carrying costs, taxes, and reinvested cash flows. An estimate for comparing returns, not financial, investment, or tax advice.
Judging a capital gain across a holding period
Investment ROI compares the value of an asset — a stock position, a property, a private deal — against the cost basis you paid for it. Enter the price you paid as the cost and the value at sale or today as the return, and the net gain and ROI percent fall out directly.
Because investments are usually held for years, the holding-period field matters most here. It converts the total return into an annualized compound rate, so a long buy-and-hold and a quick flip can be compared on the same per-year basis — a 60% gain earned over five years is a very different annual return from the same 60% earned in one. The pre-filled multi-year scenario is set up to show exactly that.
Questions
- Should I enter the holding period for an investment?
- Yes, whenever the money was tied up for more than a moment. The holding period turns the total return into an annualized compound rate, which is the only fair way to compare a multi-year hold against a shorter one. Leave it at zero only if you want the raw, un-annualized ROI.
- Does investment ROI here account for dividends or rent?
- No. ROI is measured on the cost basis and the ending value only, so interim cash flows such as dividends or rental income are not included. Add them to the return value yourself if you want a total-return figure rather than a pure capital gain.
More ways to use this calculator
Start with the main roi calculator or compare the other published scenarios.
Related calculators on Category Index