Introduction
A brokerage account is a regular investment account you can open with any broker. You put money in, buy stocks or funds, and your money can grow over time. Unlike a 401(k) or IRA, there are no limits on how much you add and no penalty for taking money out early. But you do pay taxes on dividends and gains.
This Brokerage Account Calculator shows what your account could be worth in the future. Enter your starting amount, how much you add each month, your expected return, and how long you plan to invest. You can also add dividend yield, broker fees, tax rates, and inflation to get a clearer picture.
The calculator gives you the ending value in both future dollars and today's dollars. It shows how much you put in, how much you earned, how much you paid in fees, and how much tax you may owe. A year-by-year table and a growth chart let you see every step.
You can also test up to three plans side by side. Try a higher monthly deposit, a lower fee, or a longer time frame and see which one wins. The break-even tool works backward too: tell it your goal, and it tells you how much to save each month to get there.
How to use our Brokerage Account Calculator
Fill in your starting money, monthly deposits, return rate, and time frame. The calculator shows your future portfolio value in today's and future dollars, plus your total contributions, gains, fees, and taxes, with a year-by-year table and charts.
Initial Investment: Type the lump sum you put in your brokerage account today. For a one-time deposit with no monthly adds, see the Lumpsum Calculator.
Monthly Contribution: Enter how much money you add each month. If you invest on a fixed schedule, the DCA Calculator breaks down each buy.
Annual Return Rate: Enter the yearly price growth you expect, from 0% to 30%. Leave dividends out here. Historical index returns are shown in the S&P 500 Calculator.
Investment Time Horizon: Enter how long you will invest, then pick years or months from the drop-down.
Annual Contribution Increase: Enter the percent you will raise your monthly deposit each year. Use 0 if it stays the same. A Pay Raise Calculator can help you pick a realistic number.
Expected Inflation Rate: Enter the yearly inflation rate. This turns your future balance into today's dollars. Check past rates with the CPI Inflation Calculator.
Dividend Yield: Enter the yearly dividend rate your investments pay, from 0% to 10%. Not sure of yours? Use the Dividend Yield Calculator.
Dividend Handling: Pick "Reinvest (DRIP)" to buy more shares with dividends, or "Take as cash" to keep them as cash. The DRIP Calculator focuses just on reinvested dividends.
Annual Fee / Expense Ratio: Enter the yearly fee you pay on your balance. Even small fees add up a lot — the Expense Ratio Calculator shows the long-run drag.
Long-Term Capital Gains Tax Rate: Choose the tax rate on your investment growth from the list. See the Capital Gains Tax Calculator for how the brackets work.
Qualified Dividend Tax Rate: Enter the tax rate on your dividends. They are taxed the year you get them. Your tax bracket decides which rate applies.
Capital Gains Timing: Pick "Deferred" if you hold and pay tax only when you sell, or "Annual tax drag" if you pay tax on gains every year.
Scenario A, B, and C tabs: Enter a different plan in each tab to compare up to three choices side by side.
Detailed results for: Choose which scenario the summary cards, steps, and year table show.
Compare Scenario B / C: Turn these switches on or off to add or remove scenarios from the chart and comparison table.
Target final portfolio value: Enter the amount you want to end with, then click Solve to see the monthly deposit you need. The Savings Goal Calculator does the same for cash savings.
Click Calculate to see your results, or Reset to start over with the default numbers.
What Is a Brokerage Account?
A brokerage account is an investment account you open with a broker. You put money in, then buy things like stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds. Unlike a 401(k) or IRA, there are no yearly limits on how much you can add, and you can take your money out any time. The trade-off is that you owe taxes on your gains and dividends along the way.
How Your Money Grows
Money in a brokerage account grows in three ways: the price of your investments goes up, the investments pay you dividends, and you keep adding new money. When gains earn more gains, that is called compound growth. It starts slow and speeds up over time, so the number of years you stay invested often matters more than the amount you start with. To see the same math in a general form, try the Investment Calculator or the Future Value Calculator.
Fees Matter More Than People Think
Every fund charges an expense ratio, a small yearly cut of your balance. A 0.05% fee and a 1.00% fee sound close, but over 30 years the higher fee can eat tens of thousands of dollars. That is because you lose the fee and all the growth that money would have earned. Low-cost index funds are a common way to keep this drag small.
Taxes in a Brokerage Account
Brokerage accounts are taxable. Here is the short version:
- Dividends: taxed the year you get them, even if you reinvest them. Qualified dividends usually get lower rates (0%, 15%, or 20%). Estimate your payout with the Dividend Calculator.
- Capital gains: taxed only when you sell. Hold longer than a year and you pay the lower long-term rate. Sell sooner and it is taxed like regular income — the Stock Profit Calculator shows the sale math.
- Buy and hold: holding on lets your gains grow untaxed until you sell. Trading often triggers tax every year, which slows growth.
- NIIT: high earners may owe an extra 3.8% surtax, making the top rate 23.8%. See your overall effective tax rate.
Dividends: Reinvest or Take Cash
A DRIP (dividend reinvestment plan) uses your dividends to buy more shares automatically. This speeds up compounding. Taking dividends as cash gives you spendable income now, but that money stops working for you. Dividend-focused funds like SCHD are covered in the SCHD DRIP Calculator.
Inflation and Real Returns
Prices rise over time, so a dollar 20 years from now buys less than a dollar today. If your account grows 7% a year and inflation runs 3%, your real gain is closer to 4%. Looking at "real" (inflation-adjusted) values shows what your money can actually buy later — the Inflation Calculator makes that shift clear.
The Rule of 72
Want a quick guess at how long your money takes to double? Divide 72 by your yearly return. At 8% a year, 72 ÷ 8 = about 9 years to double. It is not exact, but it is close enough for fast math. The Rule of 72 Calculator and the CAGR Calculator pair well with this idea.
Smart Habits for Investors
- Invest a set amount every month so you buy in good and bad markets.
- Raise your contribution a little each year, like when you get a raise.
- Keep fees low and trading light.
- Spread money across many investments instead of betting on one.
- Fill up tax-advantaged accounts like a 401(k) or Roth IRA first, then use a brokerage account for extra savings.
- Keep a cash buffer outside the market — size it with the Emergency Fund Calculator.
- Check how your investing plan fits your bigger picture using the Retirement Calculator, FIRE Calculator, or Net Worth Calculator.