Inflation-Adjusted Investment Value: Avoid Cashflow Confusion
Use a price deflator consistently and distinguish an endpoint value change from investment performance.
Define the no-cashflow comparison
If 10000 becomes 11000 with no intervening deposits, withdrawals or distributions, nominal value increases 10%. With a CPI factor 1.05, real change is 1.10/1.05−1, about 4.761905%. The real-value calculator follows that explicit endpoint model.
Deposits are not returns
A portfolio can grow because cash was added. End value divided by start value then mixes contributions and investment outcomes. Do not use this calculator as a money-weighted or time-weighted return. Unpaid or external distributions also need an explicit treatment before a performance conclusion.
Match currency and price basis
The historical tools use U.S. CPI and USD amounts. They do not convert foreign investments. A real comparison requires a compatible currency valuation and price deflator; adding a percentage inflation assumption to a foreign value does not solve exchange-rate movements.
Connect the working records
Use portfolio trackers for holdings records and our investing templates for editable worksheets. Their valuation, unrealized profit and cashflow concepts remain distinct from a CPI-adjusted endpoint change. Taxes, trading fees and personal inflation are not inferred.