TWRR Calculator
Category: Portfolio & PerformanceCalculate the Time-Weighted Rate of Return (TWRR) to measure investment performance independent of the timing and amount of cash flows, ideal for comparing portfolio managers and investment strategies
Investment Period Parameters
Portfolio Valuation & Cash Flows
Time-Weighted Rate of Return Results
Period Returns Breakdown
Cumulative Return Analysis
Sub-Period Analysis
| Period | Start Date | End Date | Start Value | End Value | Cash Flow | Return |
|---|
Investment Return Comparison
TWRR vs Money-Weighted Return
The difference between TWRR and MWRR indicates the impact of your cash flow timing on returns.
A positive difference suggests your cash flows were timed favorably relative to performance.
Performance vs Benchmark
Alpha represents your portfolio's excess return compared to the benchmark.
Positive alpha indicates outperformance, negative indicates underperformance.
Understanding Time-Weighted Rate of Return (TWRR)
The Time-Weighted Rate of Return (TWRR) measures investment performance independent of the timing and amount of cash flows. It's designed to evaluate the effectiveness of investment decisions by portfolio managers and strategies, regardless of when clients add or withdraw funds.
How TWRR Works
- Geometric Linking: TWRR links together the returns of individual sub-periods, eliminating the effects of cash flows.
- Cash Flow Neutrality: Unlike money-weighted returns (IRR), TWRR isn't affected by the timing or size of external cash flows.
- Equal Weighting: Each sub-period is weighted equally, regardless of the invested amount during that period.
- Industry Standard: TWRR is the preferred performance metric for evaluating investment managers and comparing strategies.
When to Use TWRR
- Manager Evaluation: Best for evaluating portfolio managers since it isolates their investment decisions from client cash flow timing.
- Strategy Comparison: Ideal for comparing investment strategies or funds on an equal basis.
- Benchmark Comparison: Most appropriate for comparing your returns against market benchmarks.
- Long-term Analysis: Provides a clearer picture of long-term investment performance across multiple periods.
TWRR Formula
The Time-Weighted Rate of Return is calculated by:
Where r₁, r₂, ..., rₙ are the returns for each sub-period between cash flows.
For each sub-period, the return is calculated as:
TWRR vs Money-Weighted Return
| Feature | Time-Weighted Return (TWRR) | Money-Weighted Return (IRR) |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Flow Sensitivity | Not affected by cash flow timing | Significantly affected by cash flow timing |
| Primary Use | Evaluating investment managers | Personal investment performance |
| Calculation Method | Geometric linking of sub-period returns | Internal Rate of Return (IRR) calculation |
| Best For | Comparing strategies or managers | Understanding actual investor experience |
What this calculates
Time-weighted return — performance with the effect of deposits and withdrawals removed.
- Formula
TWRR = [(1 + r₁)(1 + r₂)…(1 + rₙ)] − 1, where each r is the return of a period between cash flows- Worked example
- Two periods returning 5% and −2% give (1.05 × 0.98) − 1 = 2.9%, regardless of money added in between.
- When to use it
- To judge the strategy itself, separately from your funding decisions.
- Common mistake
- TWRR is not what your account actually earned. If you added money before a bad stretch, your real return is worse than TWRR suggests.