Finance Calculator for Loans, Savings & Investments

How to Use Our Finance Calculator

This tool is a Time Value of Money (TVM) solver, which means it can find a missing variable when you input the others. Simply fill in the values you know, select the one you want to solve for, and let the calculator do the work.

First, select which value you want to find:

(o) Number of Periods (N) (o) Interest Rate (I/Y) (o) Present Value (PV) (o) Payment (PMT) (o) Future Value (FV)

Next, fill in the other fields:

• Number of Periods (N): The total number of payments or compounding periods (e.g., a 5-year car loan paid monthly is 60 periods).

• Interest Rate (I/Y): The annual interest rate. The calculator will automatically convert this to a periodic rate based on the payment frequency you select (e.g., monthly or yearly).

• Present Value (PV): The value of the money today. This is typically a loan amount or the initial amount of an investment. Important: For loans, enter this as a positive number. For investments you make, enter it as a negative number to represent a cash outflow.

• Payment (PMT): The fixed amount paid each period. For loan payments or investment contributions, enter this as a negative number (cash outflow).

• Future Value (FV): The value of the money at a future date. This is often the target amount for a savings goal or a remaining balance on a loan (like a balloon payment).

Understanding Your Results

The number you get is the missing piece of your financial puzzle. Because this calculator is so versatile, the result can mean different things. Here’s a guide to interpreting your results based on what you are trying to solve.

Common Scenarios & How to Interpret Them

This calculator empowers you to run different scenarios. For example, you can solve for PMT on a $25,000 car loan, and if the payment is too high, you can change the N (number of periods) from 60 to 72 months and re-calculate to see how it changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my result a negative number?

This is the most common question and a core concept in finance. Financial calculators use a “cash flow” convention:

• Cash Inflow (money you receive): Entered as a positive number. Example: A loan amount you receive from a bank (PV).

• Cash Outflow (money you pay): Entered as a negative number. Examples: A monthly loan payment (PMT), an initial investment (PV), or regular investment contributions (PMT).

If you solve for a loan payment (PMT), the result will be negative because it’s money you are paying out. If you enter your PV and PMT as negative numbers for an investment, your FV result will be positive, as it’s money you will eventually receive.

What’s the difference between Present Value (PV) and Future Value (FV)?

This is the core of the “time value of money” concept: money today is worth more than the same amount of money in the future because of its potential to earn interest.

• Present Value (PV) is what a future sum of money is worth right now. For example, the PV of $1,000 you’ll receive in one year is less than $1,000 today, assuming you could invest it.

• Future Value (FV) is what a sum of money today will be worth at a future date, assuming it grows at a certain interest rate.

This calculator helps you quantify that relationship precisely.

How do I use this for a car loan vs. a savings goal?

The framework is the same, but the inputs change.

Concrete Example: Car Loan You want to borrow $30,000 for a car over 5 years (60 months) at 6% interest. What is your payment?

• Select “Solve for PMT“

• N: 60

• I/Y: 6

• PV: 30000

• FV: 0 (you want to owe nothing at the end)

• Result (PMT): -$580.50

Concrete Example: Savings Goal You want to save $1,000,000 for retirement in 30 years (360 months). You start with $0 and expect an 8% return. How much do you need to invest per month?

• Select “Solve for PMT“

• N: 360

• I/Y: 8

• PV: 0

• FV: 1000000

• Result (PMT): -$663.84 (the amount you need to invest each month)

How do I calculate how long it will take to pay off my credit card?

This is a powerful use case for solving for N. Let’s say you have a $5,000 balance on a credit card with an 18% APR, and you can afford to pay $250 per month.

• Select “Solve for N“

• I/Y: 18

• PV: 5000 (the balance you received)

• PMT: -250 (the payment you are making)

• FV: 0 (you want the balance to be zero)

• Result (N): 24.3. It will take you just over 24 months to pay off the card.

What is the “Rule of 72” and how does it relate to this?

The Rule of 72 is a mental-math shortcut to estimate how long it will take for an investment to double. You simply divide 72 by your annual interest rate. For example, at an 8% annual return, your money will double in approximately 9 years ($72/8=9$). While handy for quick estimates, our calculator (solving for N) gives you a precise answer that also accounts for regular contributions.

Explore More Specific Financial Tools

This all-in-one calculator is great for understanding financial mechanics. For more detailed planning, you may find our specialized calculators more helpful.

• Planning to buy a home? Use our Mortgage Calculator with Taxes & Insurance (PITI) for a more detailed payment breakdown.

• For a deeper look at growing your nest egg, try our dedicated Investment Growth Calculator.

• Trying to get out of debt? Our Debt Payoff Calculator can help you create a strategy.