By Scrimpr
Updated 18 Jan 2026
The profit or loss on an investment, usually shown as a percentage.
Return
The profit or loss on an investment, usually shown as a percentage.
Grow Money
Updated Jan 2026
By Scrimpr
Updated 18 Jan 2026 What is a return?
Return is how much you made or lost on an investment. If you invest £1,000 and it grows to £1,100, your return is £100, or 10%.
What is an annual return?
The return over one year. If a fund says it returned 8% last year, that means £1,000 invested at the start of the year would have been worth £1,080 at the end.
What is an average return?
Returns vary year to year. An “average return” smooths this out. A fund might return 15% one year and 5% the next. The average would be 10%.
Past returns don’t guarantee future results. A fund that returned 10% last year might lose money next year.
Key points about returns
- Profit or loss, shown as a percentage or amount
- Can be positive or negative. You can lose money
- Past returns don’t predict the future
