Why CAGR Differs From Actual Year-by-Year Investment Returns
The article explains that compound annual growth rate condenses a starting value, ending value, and time span into a single annualized figure, but it can be misread as the steady yearly return an investment actually earned. The author built a calculator that shows both the percentage and a reconstructed year-by-year path to highlight this gap. The formula ignores deposits, withdrawals, fees, taxes, inflation, and volatility, so money-weighted or time-weighted measures may be better when cash flows occur. The piece also notes that negative CAGR is valid, that comparing rates across very different time windows can be misleading, and that the result is a model rather than a guarantee.
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