CAGR vs XIRR Calculator & Direct Comparison
Understand the crucial mathematical differences between Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) and Extended Internal Rate of Return (XIRR) for Indian investments.
When to Use Which Metric?
- • One-time Lumpsum Mutual Fund investment
- • Bank Fixed Deposits & Bonds
- • Single Stock buy and sell
- • Gold and Real Estate property sales
- • Monthly Mutual Fund SIPs
- • Systematic Transfer Plans (STP)
- • Systematic Withdrawal Plans (SWP)
- • Multiple stock buys on dips over time
Money-weighted return taking into account all monthly SIP cash flows
*XIRR calculates the exact discount rate that equates the present value of all cash flows to zero.
Important Educational Disclaimer for Calculator Results:
Calculations are estimates based on your entered inputs and selected return or inflation assumptions. Results are illustrative, hypothetical, and not guaranteed. Actual market returns, interest rates, tax liabilities, and inflation rates will vary and may materially alter your final outcome. This calculator does not constitute financial, investment, or tax advice.
Which metric accurately measures your real performance?
If you only look at your starting ₹1,00,000 and ending ₹6,00,000, CAGR suggests an inflated 81.71%. But because you actively added ₹10,000/month (total capital ₹4,60,000), your true annualized internal rate of return is XIRR: 15.31%.
- Point-to-Point CAGR (81.71%): Highly misleading when multiple buy or sell transactions occur over time.
- True Money-Weighted XIRR (15.31%): The gold standard for SIPs, multiple stock purchases, and real-world cash flows.
- Rule of Thumb: Use CAGR ONLY for one-time lumpsum investments (FDs, single property purchase, single stock trade). Use XIRR for mutual fund SIPs, portfolio returns, and periodic withdrawals.
How This Calculator Works
CAGR assumes a single investment at t=0 compounding undisturbed until t=n. XIRR discounts every individual cash inflow and outflow by its exact date of occurrence to find the true annualized internal rate of return.
CAGR = (End Value / Start Value)^(1/t) - 1 vs XIRR: Σ [C_i / (1 + Rate)^((d_i - d_0)/365)] = 0Variables in Formula:
Worked Step-by-Step Example
You start with ₹1 Lakh and add ₹10,000/month for 3 years, ending with ₹6,00,000. Total invested is ₹4.6 Lakhs.
Key takeaway: Using CAGR on SIP cash flows overstates performance by more than 4x! Always rely on XIRR on mutual fund consolidated account statements (CAS).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
⚠ Using CAGR to calculate mutual fund SIP performance
CAGR cannot handle multiple purchase dates and creates massive distortion. Mutual fund factsheets always report SIP performance in XIRR.
⚠ Confusing Absolute Return with Annual Return
A 50% absolute gain over 5 years is ~8.45% CAGR. Always convert absolute numbers into annualized XIRR/CAGR before comparing against fixed deposits or benchmarks.
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