Learn what compound interest is, how it’s calculated—from annual rates to continuous compounding—and why it’s powerful for savings (and dangerous for debt).

If you invested $10,000 at 5% simple interest for 10 years, you would receive $500 in interest every year, for a total of $5,000 in earned interest at the end of year 10. This would make your total of ...

Sean Ross is a strategic adviser at 1031x.com, Investopedia contributor, and the founder and manager of Free Lances Ltd. Anthony Battle is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. He earned the ...

Here’s how the Rule of 72 works: Divide 72 by your expected annual interest rate (as a percentage, not a decimal). The answer is roughly the number of years it will take for your money to double. For ...