Calculator Comparison

ROI Calculator vs Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Not sure which calculator to use? Here's a side-by-side comparison of the ROI Calculator and Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator to help you pick the right one for your needs.

ROI Calculator

Investment & Retirement

Calculate the return on investment (ROI) for any investment by comparing your initial cost to the final value or profit.

What you enter

Initial Investment
Final Value
Investment Period

What you get

Total ROI(primary)
Annualized ROI
Total Profit/Loss

Use ROI Calculator

Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Investment & Retirement

Estimate the tax savings from harvesting investment losses. Calculate how selling losing positions to offset capital gains and ordinary income can improve your after-tax investment returns.

What you enter

Realized Capital Losses
Capital Gains to Offset
Capital Gains Tax Rate
Ordinary Income Tax Rate
State Tax Rate

What you get

Total Tax Savings(primary)
Capital Gains Offset
Ordinary Income Deduction
Loss Carried Forward

Includes visual pie chart breakdown

Use Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Key Differences

Feature	ROI Calculator	Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator
Category	Investment & Retirement	Investment & Retirement
Inputs	3 required fields	5 required fields
Outputs	3 results	4 results
Chart	No chart	pie chart
FAQs	3 answered	3 answered

Input Comparison

Only in ROI Calculator

Initial Investment
Final Value
Investment Period

Only in Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Realized Capital Losses
Capital Gains to Offset
Capital Gains Tax Rate
Ordinary Income Tax Rate
State Tax Rate

Which Calculator Should You Use?

Use the ROI Calculator if you need to:

Calculate total roi
When you know your initial investment and final value

Use the Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator if you need to:

Calculate total tax savings
When you know your realized capital losses and capital gains to offset
Want a visual pie chart breakdown

Frequently Asked Questions

How is ROI calculated?

ROI = (Final Value - Initial Investment) / Initial Investment x 100. For example, investing $10,000 and getting $15,000 back is a 50% ROI.

What is a good ROI?

A good ROI depends on the investment type. The S&P 500 averages about 10% annually. Real estate averages 8-12%. Anything above the risk-free rate (Treasury bonds) can be considered good.

What is tax-loss harvesting?

Tax-loss harvesting is selling investments at a loss to offset capital gains and reduce your tax bill. After selling, you can reinvest in a similar (but not substantially identical) security to maintain market exposure. The IRS allows up to ,000 in net losses to deduct against ordinary income annually.

What is the wash sale rule?

The wash sale rule prevents you from claiming a tax loss if you buy a substantially identical security within 30 days before or after the sale. For example, selling an S&P 500 ETF at a loss and buying the same ETF within 30 days would disallow the loss. Buying a similar but different fund is allowed.

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Bottom Line

Choose the ROI Calculator if you need to calculate total roi. Use the Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator if you need to calculate total tax savings. Both calculators are free and require no sign-up.

Use ROI Calculator Use Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Feature

ROI Calculator

Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator