Compound interest

If the interest was paid on a monthly basis and retained in the account the interest earned would differ from the previous example, in effect you would then be earning interest on interest – this is referred to as compound interest.

Using the same figures as the example above, if the interest was paid monthly, the monthly interest earned would 2.7% divided by 12, or 0.225%.

Therefore the interest paid in the first month would be:

      $1,000 x 0.225 / 100 = $2.25 per month

This brings your bank balance to $1,002.25 after the first month. For the second month, the interest will be calculated on your original $1,000 plus the previous month’s interest of $2.25. So you are earning interest on your interest.

We will show you an example of this on the next page.