Compound Interest Formula:
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Compound interest is the interest calculated on the initial principal and also on the accumulated interest of previous periods of a deposit or loan. It's often described as "interest on interest" and can make a sum grow at a faster rate than simple interest.
The calculator uses the compound interest formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates how much an investment will grow over time when interest is compounded at regular intervals.
Details: Understanding compound interest is crucial for financial planning, investment decisions, and debt management. It demonstrates how money can grow over time and the power of regular investing.
Tips: Enter the principal amount, annual interest rate, compounding frequency, and time period. All values must be positive numbers to get accurate results.
Q1: What's the difference between simple and compound interest?
A: Simple interest is calculated only on the principal amount, while compound interest is calculated on both the principal and accumulated interest.
Q2: How does compounding frequency affect the final amount?
A: More frequent compounding (e.g., monthly vs. annually) results in higher returns due to interest being calculated more often.
Q3: What is the rule of 72?
A: A quick way to estimate how long it takes for an investment to double: divide 72 by the annual interest rate.
Q4: Can compound interest work against you?
A: Yes, when it comes to debt, compound interest can cause what you owe to grow rapidly if not managed properly.
Q5: Is this calculator accurate for manual approximation?
A: This provides a mathematical calculation that would be difficult to compute manually, giving you the exact result without a calculator.