India, Sept. 9 -- HT Syndication

New Delhi [India], September 9: A higher return is often the first thing investors look for. Yet the final amount also depends on how much they invest and how long the money stays invested. Changing either can make a substantial difference without changing the assumed return.

There is no universal winner among these three factors. Their influence depends on the starting figures and the size of each adjustment. A compound interest calculator helps compare them, provided you change one input at a time.

Understand how the three factors interact

For a one-time investment with annual compounding, the relationship is:

Future value = Investment amount x (1 + Annual return)^Years

The annual return is express...