ROI Calculator
ROI = net gain ÷ cost. Useful — and incomplete, because 30% ROI means something wildly different over 1 year vs. 10. This version annualizes it and compares against real alternatives, using the same live rate benchmarks the rest of NumberBench updates daily.
ROI = (gain − cost) ÷ cost. Buy at $10,000, sell at $13,000 → 30% ROI — which is 9.14%/yr over 3 years. Benchmarks: S&P long-run ~10.66%/yr; 12-mo CDs ~1.65%; average savings ~0.38% APY.
- $10K→$13K30% ROI
- Annualized over 3 yrs9.14%/yr
- S&P 500 long-run~10.66%/yr
- 12-month CD (national avg)~1.65%
- Savings account (national avg)~0.38% APY
Deposit-rate benchmarks auto-refresh from FDIC national averages via our daily updater.
ROI vs. annualized ROI — why both matter
| Total ROI | Over 1 yr | Over 3 yrs | Over 5 yrs | Over 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | 20.0%/yr | 6.3%/yr | 3.7%/yr | 1.8%/yr |
| 50% | 50.0%/yr | 14.5%/yr | 8.4%/yr | 4.1%/yr |
| 100% | 100%/yr | 26.0%/yr | 14.9%/yr | 7.2%/yr |
| 200% | 200%/yr | 44.2%/yr | 24.6%/yr | 11.6%/yr |
“I doubled my money” is a 7.2%-a-year story if it took a decade — below the S&P’s 10-year run of 14.82%. Annualize before bragging, and compare against the boring alternatives: our live benchmarks put national-average savings near 0.38% APY and 12-month CDs near 1.65%, so almost any productive investment clears cash — the honest bar is the index.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate ROI?
(Final value − cost) ÷ cost × 100. Include ALL costs — fees, taxes, improvements — or the number flatters you.
What's a good ROI?
Depends on risk and horizon: the S&P 500 has returned about 10.66%/yr long-run (with brutal interim drops), CDs are near 1.65%, savings near 0.4%. A 'good' ROI beats the alternative you'd actually have chosen, per year, after costs.
What's the difference between ROI and CAGR?
ROI is total return over the whole period; CAGR/annualized ROI spreads it per year with compounding. 30% ROI over 3 years = 9.14% annualized.
Does ROI include taxes?
Not unless you include them. For fair comparisons use after-tax proceeds — capital gains rates run 0/15/20% federally depending on income and holding period.
Sources & methodology
Sources: NumberBench methodology.
CD benchmark reads the site's daily-updated FDIC national average at page load (fallback 1.65%). Not investment advice.