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What is the Real Rate of Return?

Synopsis:


If you want to check whether it makes sense to put your money in an investment product, you should ascertain its real rate of return.Read more..The real rate of return is calculated by deducting inflation, taxes, and investing fees from an investment’s nominal rate of return. In other words, the real return tells you about the actual wealth created by an investment. Hence, it is a far better indicator than the nominal rate of return. The fact is inflation reduces the purchasing power of money. Similarly, taxes and investing fees are paid out from an investor’s pocket. Hence, these factors have to be adjusted while calculating the real rate of return on an investment.Read less


The real rate of return is the return generated by an investment after adjusting for inflation. It is a well-known fact that inflation affects the purchasing power of money. This is why the real rate of return is important because it tells us about the actual wealth created by an investment after considering the inflation rate. Apart from adjusting for inflation, investors should also consider other factors, like taxes and investing fees, while estimating the real return on their investment. Having discussed what the real rate of return is, let us discuss other aspects related to it.

How to Calculate the Real Rate of Return?

The real rate of return on an investment is calculated by using the following formula:

Real Rate of Return = [(1 + Nominal Rate) / (1 + Inflation Rate)] – 1

You may wonder what the nominal rate is. It is the return generated by an investment before considering inflation, taxes, and other factors. In the case of fixed-return investments, the nominal rate is usually mentioned before you make an investment. For example, a bank will tell you how much interest it pays on fixed deposits (FDs) before you invest in an FD.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the most often used indicator to calculate the inflation rate. CPI measures the extent to which the price changes for a basket of consumer goods and services over a period of time.

Importance of Real Rate of Return in Investments

The real rate of return helps you know how much your investment has actually grown over a period after removing the impact of inflation, taxes, and other factors. Hence, the real return reveals the actual (or real) profit or loss made by you on an investment. Without the real rate of return, you will not know how your investment has performed. Hence, it is an extremely important concept.

The real rate of return is especially important in countries with a high rate of inflation. At times, in such countries, inflation is so high that the real return on investment could be negative, which means that the real value of an investor’s money has actually decreased. Hence, in such countries, investors must track the real return generated by their investments.

Therefore, the real return is important for investors to ascertain whether their portfolio is sustainably building wealth over a period or not. If they do not consider inflation, they may think they are building wealth, but they may actually be losing wealth in reality. This is why it is important for you to calculate the real rate of return to ascertain how much wealth your investments have actually created.

Real Rate of Return vs. Nominal Rate of Return

If you are an investor, you need to understand the difference between the real rate and the nominal rate of return. The following table throws light on the differences between these two terms:

Real Rate of Return

Nominal Rate of Return

The real rate of return is calculated after removing the impact of inflation from the nominal rate of return.

The nominal rate of return is the return on an investment before adjusting for inflation.

The real rate is calculated after deducting taxes payable from the nominal rate of return. Hence, it is a more realistic indicator of the profitability of an investment.

The nominal rate of return on an investment is the pre-tax return. Hence, taxes are not adjusted from it.

This rate is usually lower than the nominal rate of return. If inflation is higher than the nominal rate of return, then the real return can be negative.

This rate is usually higher than the real rate of return. However, during deflation, when prices decrease, it can be lower than the real rate of return.

Financial institutions do not advertise the real rate of return of their products.

Many financial institutions advertise the nominal rate of return on their products like fixed deposits and saving bank accounts.

This rate is used more by investors and analysts, as it tells them about the actual wealth created by an investment.

This rate is used more by lenders and borrowers. This is because loan instalments depend upon the nominal rate of return.

Factors Affecting the Real Rate of Return

The main factors that impact the real rate of return are explained below:

  • Interest rates: The prevailing interest rate in an economy affects the real interest rates provided by various investment products. Such prevailing interest rates are a function of the rates set by a central bank, like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • Inflation: Inflation affects the purchasing power of money. Hence, to calculate the real rate, we need to remove the impact of inflation from the nominal rate. So, inflation is one of the most important factors that affect the real rate of return on an investment.
  • Taxes payable: Investors have to pay taxes on the nominal return they generate on their investments. The higher such taxes, the lower their real return, and vice versa.
  • Risk: The riskier the investment, the higher the real rate of return. Hence, if an investment is very risky, you should expect a very high real rate of return from it, and vice versa.
  • Market and economic conditions: The real return of an investment is a function of the prevailing market and economic conditions. In a strong market and economy, the real rate of return usually tends to be high. On the other hand, when such conditions are weak, the real rate of return is often low.

Examples Illustrating Real Rate of Return Calculations

Let us say that an investment offers a nominal rate of return of 12% when the inflation is 5%. As already discussed, the real rate of return can be calculated by using the following formula:

Real Rate of Return = [(1 + Nominal Rate) / (1 + Inflation Rate)] – 1

Real Rate of Return = [(1 + 12%) / (1 + 5%)] – 1 = 6.67%

Hence, in this case, the real rate of return is 6.67%.

Strategies to Enhance Your Real Rate of Return

If you want to enhance your real rate of return, these are the strategies you can follow:

  • Invest in assets that outpace inflation: To preserve and grow your real return, consider assets that historically offer returns above inflation. Stocks have often provided inflation-beating returns, but that is not guaranteed. Conduct thorough research before investing.
  • Keep costs low: Managing investment costs is crucial for improving your real rate of return. Frequent switching between mutual funds without a strong rationale can lead to unnecessary expenses, potentially impacting your overall portfolio performance.
  • Invest with a long-term perspective: Generally, investments held over a longer duration tend to yield better real returns. Short-term fluctuations can make it difficult to optimize gains, so staying invested for the long haul may help generate more stable growth.
  • Optimize tax efficiency: Certain investment products, such as the Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Equity Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS), offer tax benefits. Utilizing tax-efficient options can help improve your overall real rate of return.

Common Misconceptions About Real Rate of Return

To develop a deep understanding of the real rate of return, you should know about the common misconceptions about this concept, which are explained below:

  • Real rate of return is always positive: Some people believe that the real rate of return is always positive, which is not true. If inflation is higher than the nominal rate of return, then the real rate of return can be negative.
  • Real rate of return is always lower than the nominal rate of return: It is true that the real rate of return is mostly lower than the nominal rate of return. However, when prices fall over a period of time (resulting in deflation), the real rate of return is higher than the nominal rate of return.
  • Real rate of return is only affected by the inflation rate: There is no denying that inflation is one of the most important factors that affects the real rate of return. However, it is also affected by many other factors, like taxation, market conditions, etc.
  • A low real return is always preferable over a high real return: This is a common misconception. The fact is the higher the real return offered by an investment, the higher its risk, and vice versa. Hence, whether a low real return is preferable over a high real return depends upon an investor’s willingness to take a risk.

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Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risk, read all related documents carefully before investing.

This content is for educational purposes only. Securities quoted are exemplary and not recommendatory.

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