- Starting amount
- The starting balance or current amount you have invested or saved. If you haven't started saving yet, set the amount to '$0'.
- Years
- The total number of years you are planning to save or invest.
- Additional contributions
- The amount that you plan on adding to your savings or investment regularly.
- Contribution frequency
- How often your additional contributions will occur. Your choices are weekly (52 times per year), every other week (26 times per year), monthly, quarterly or annually.
- Annualized rate of return
- The annual rate of return for your underlying investment, before any fees are taken into account. The actual rate of return is largely dependent on the type of investments you select. For example, the total return including dividends of the S&P/TSX Composite Index for the 10 year period from December 31, 2013 through December 31, 2023 was 8.6% (source www.spglobal.com). Savings accounts at a bank or credit union may pay as little as 2% or less. It is important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment.
- Make deposits at beginning of the period
- Check this box to have all additional contributions happen at the beginning of each period. Uncheck this box for the end of the period. Making contributions at the beginning of each period allows your money to begin earning a return immediately increasing your return.
- Annual investment fee
- The annual fees, calculated based as a percentage of the investment balance, for three different investment options. The higher the fee percentage, the less your investment will grow over time.
