Elvis Picardo is a regular contributor to Investopedia and has 25+ years of experience as a portfolio manager with diverse capital markets experience. Suzanne is a content marketer, writer, and ...

Greg DePersio has 13+ years of professional experience in sales and SEO and 3+ years as a writer and editor. Simple interest is calculated only on the principal balance of the loan each period.

Interest is the amount of money you must pay to borrow money in addition to the loan's principal. It's also the amount you are paid over time when you deposit money in a savings account or certificate ...

Interest is money that is paid regularly at a particular percentage, usually when money has been lent or borrowed. For example, a bank will give its customers interest to reward them for saving money ...

Simple interest is the interest applied only to the original amount of money deposited or borrowed. Calculating simple interest requires knowing your principal amount, annual interest rate, and time ...

Compound interest is the interest earned not just on your initial investment (the principal) but also on the interest that accumulates over time. In simple terms, it’s “interest on interest.” Think of ...

On the surface, an interest rate is just a number. How that number applies to debt or equity opens up a world of possibilities. The first consideration is always whether it’s simple interest vs.