The formula
balance after n periods = start × (1 + rate)ⁿ with deposits: each period's deposit compounds from the period after it
At 2% a week, $1,000 becomes about $2,800 in a year. At 3% a week it becomes about $4,650. A rate that sounds modest per week is a very large one per year: 2% a week is about 180% a year, and 1% a day is almost 3,700% a year.
Why a steady rate is so hard
Compounding needs the rate every period, including the weeks when the market gives nothing. Real returns arrive unevenly: a few good weeks, many flat ones, some red ones. One 20% losing week undoes about eleven 2% winning weeks. The steadier the curve you want, the less risk each trade can carry, and the expectancy calculator shows what an edge can actually support.
The rule of 72
Divide 72 by the rate per period to estimate how many periods it takes to double: at 2% a week, about 36 weeks. The calculator marks every doubling on the chart.
Track the real thing
Members of The Print Room set a starting balance and a weekly goal in The Plan, then log real balances against the curve each week, so the gap between the plan and reality is visible early.