What We Do
Imagine Calculator provides free financial tools to help you visualize investment outcomes, understand the effects of compounding, and explore historical market data. Our goal is to make financial concepts accessible through interactive calculators and data-driven scenarios. All tools are for educational purposes only and do not constitute financial advice.
Who Runs This
Imagine Calculator is built and run by Sean D.
Every figure is calculated from the price data listed below, and every company fact links to its source. If something looks wrong, email hello@imaginecalculator.com or use the contact page. The site is free to use, and it may show ads to cover its costs.
Our Calculators
- DCA Calculator— Simulate dollar-cost averaging into crypto or stocks.
- Compound Interest— Project growth with compound interest and monthly contributions.
- Crypto Profit— Calculate profit or loss on a crypto trade.
- Percentage Calculator— Percent of, what percent, and percent change.
- Inflation Calculator— Purchasing power using U.S. CPI data.
- What-If Scenarios— Historical investment returns with benchmark comparisons.
Methodology
Calculations are performed client-side using deterministic formulas. Compound interest uses A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt). CAGR uses (endValue / startValue)^(1/years) − 1. DCA sums periodic purchases at historical prices. Inflation adjustment uses CPI-U ratios from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Data Sources
Cryptocurrency: Live prices from Yahoo Finance, with CoinGecko as a backup. Start-of-year prices are the January 1 opening price (midnight UTC) on major US exchanges (Coinbase, Kraken, Bitstamp), or CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap where a coin wasn’t yet trading on US exchanges. Bitcoin prices before 2014 come from the early exchanges of the time.
Stocks: Current prices from Yahoo Finance, refreshed hourly; split-adjusted year-start prices in our static dataset.
CPI: U.S. BLS CPI-U annual averages, 2000 through 2026 (2026 estimated where noted).
Benchmarks: S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested) and gold year-start levels for scenario comparison tables.
Data last verified: May 15, 2026 (2026-05-15)
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Past performance does not guarantee future results.
- Taxes and trading fees are not subtracted unless a page says so; a fund’s own yearly fee is already in its price.
- Most scenarios assume one purchase at the start of a year; charts use month-end prices where noted.
- Not financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.