Monthly Investment for a Goal Calculator
Calculate how much you need to invest each month to reach a savings goal, in today's purchasing power — not in nominal amounts that will be worth less in 15 years due to inflation. It's the difference between "I'll have 50,000" and "I'll have 50,000 in today's money", and those are very different things over the long run.
How is it calculated?
This is calculated using the real return: (1 + nominal return) ÷ (1 + expected inflation) − 1, converted to a monthly rate. That's then plugged into the standard future value formula with periodic contributions: future value = initial capital·(1+r)^n + monthly contribution·[((1+r)^n − 1) / r], solving for the monthly contribution needed so the future value (in today's purchasing power) reaches your goal. The nominal final value is also shown — the amount you'll literally see in the account, not adjusted for inflation — so you can see both figures.
Examples
5,000 initial, goal of 50,000 in 15 years, 6% return, 2.5% inflation
You need to invest 178.57 a month (nominal final value: 63,215.60).
No initial capital, goal of 20,000 in 5 years, 5% return, 2% inflation
You need to invest 310.13 a month (nominal final value: 21,031.40).