Money Over Time

A visual way to understand compounding, inflation, taxes, and irregular cash flows — built for classwork and real decisions.

Finance 101 Economics Accounting MBA Core

Inputs

Base Scenario
Nominal view
$1,000
7.00%
20 years
Monthly
Tip: drag the vertical marker on the chart to “scrub” through time.
Inflation
Off
3.00%
Real value answers: “what this is worth in today’s dollars.”
Taxes
Off
15.00%
Simplified: taxes reduce positive gains each period (no loss harvesting modeled).
Cash Flows
Flexible
$100
When Amount Description Remove
No irregular cash flows yet. Add deposits/withdrawals (e.g., scholarships, tuition, big purchases).
How irregular cash flows work: deposits/withdrawals occur at the chosen month/year. Negative amounts = withdrawals.
Concepts: compounding · time value of money · opportunity cost · inflation · tax drag · cash flow timing

Your $1,000 becomes …

Most growth happens late — the curve does the heavy lifting near the end.

End value
$0
Total contributed
$0
Total growth (net)
$0
Drag the marker to inspect values at any point in time.
Model notes (kept simple on purpose): Return rate is applied per compounding period. “Tax drag” reduces gains each period. Inflation adjustment converts results to today’s dollars using the inflation rate.