Compound Calculator
Project how your trading account grows — daily, weekly, or monthly. Model profit splits, withdrawals, and weekend gaps. Share your setup with a link.
How compounding works
The formula
Each period, profit is calculated on your current full balance — including all prior gains. With a starting balance P, periodic return r, and n periods:
balance = P × (1 + r)nWith a profit split s (your share %) and withdrawal w:
balance = (balance + balance×r×s/100 + C − w) per periodWhy it matters
Compounding turns consistency into outsized results. A trader making 5% monthly doesn't grow 60% a year — they grow roughly 79%, because each month's gains compound on a larger base.
The flip side: losses compound too. A 50% drawdown requires a 100% gain just to break even. This is why risk management — not raw return — is the real edge.
Worked examples
See how the calculator handles real-world compounding scenarios — from pure exponential growth to the impact of a prop-firm profit split.
$10,000 start, 1% daily compound, 260 trading days
A consistent 1% daily gain compounded over a full trading year (260 days). No profit split, no withdrawals — pure exponential growth.
balance = P × (1 + r)^n
P = $10,000, r = 0.01, n = 260
Day 1: $10,000 × 1.01^1 = $10,100
Day 10: $10,000 × 1.01^10 = $11,046
Day 50: $10,000 × 1.01^50 = $16,445
Day 100: $10,000 × 1.01^100 = $27,005
Day 200: $10,000 × 1.01^200 = $72,893
Day 260: $10,000 × 1.01^260 = $130,282
Total return: +1,203% over 260 daysResult: $130,282 — a 13× return from 1% daily compounding. The exponential curve is deceptively slow at first (only +$100 on day 1) but accelerates dramatically. By day 200 you're adding ~$729/day. This is the mathematical power of compounding — but it requires sustaining 1% daily, which is extraordinarily difficult in practice.
$10,000 start, 2% daily, 80% profit split, 260 days
Same starting balance but with a 2% daily gain and an 80% profit split (typical prop-firm payout). The profit split means only 80% of each day's gain stays in your account to compound.
Net daily return = 2% × 80% = 1.6%
With profit split:
Day 260: $10,000 × 1.016^260 = $62,676
Without profit split (full 2%):
Day 260: $10,000 × 1.02^260 = $231,066
Difference: $231,066 − $62,676 = $168,390
The 80% profit split reduces the
final balance by 73% — even though
you keep 80% of every gain.
Why? Because you lose 20% of the
compounding base every single day.
Over 260 days, that 20% haircut
compounds against you exponentially.Result: $62,676 with the profit split vs $231,066 without — a 73% reduction in final balance. The profit split doesn't just take 20% of profits; it takes 20% of the compounding engine itself. This is why prop-firm traders must aim for higher daily returns to match self-funded accounts, and why understanding the effective compounding rate is critical before choosing a funding model.
Common questions
How does compounding work in trading?
Compounding means each period's profit is calculated on your current full balance — including all prior gains — so returns earn returns. Over many periods this produces exponential rather than linear growth, which is why consistent traders outperform those who withdraw profits early.
What is a realistic monthly return for a trader?
Most profitable retail and prop traders target 2–10% per month. Returns above 20% monthly are possible in short streaks but are not sustainable long-term and usually signal excessive risk. Use the calculator to stress-test your assumptions and review your risk of ruin separately.
What does the Weekend Flaw toggle do?
The Weekend Flaw toggle switches between 5-day trading (Forex/Stocks, ~260 days/year) and 7-day trading (Crypto/Indices, 365 days/year). This affects how daily compounding is annualized for CAGR and whether weekends are skipped in the projection.
How does the profit split work?
If you trade with a prop firm, enter the percentage of profits you keep (e.g. 80 for an 80/20 split). The calculator compounds only your share, modeling the real growth of your funded account after the firm's cut.
How does the Share My Vision button work?
Share My Vision serializes your entire calculator state — all inputs, profit split, withdrawals, and chart — into the URL querystring and copies it to your clipboard. Paste it in Discord or X and anyone who clicks sees your exact projection.
Can I model drawdowns with this calculator?
Yes. Enter a negative compound percentage (for example -5) to project a losing streak. The table will show the balance declining period by period, which helps you visualize how deep a drawdown you can survive.
Ready to put compounding to work?
Pair this projection with disciplined position sizing. Explore our other free trading tools.