If your expected return on the individual investments in your portfolio is known or can be anticipated, you can calculate the portfolio's overall rate of return using Microsoft Excel.

How to calculate return on investment (ROI), the money an investment made relative to its cost, in Microsoft Excel.

How to calculate average stock returns in Excel In the following example, I'll calculate the returns for Microsoft stock using historical prices and dividends. The first step is to get organized.

We'll calculate the historical monthly variance of the S&P 500 Total Return Index over a five-year period from August 2010 through July 2015 -- that's 60 observations (5 years x 12 months).

One simple but powerful method investors can use to assess the risk and reward of a stock portfolio is using the Capital Asset Pricing Model, or CAPM, model for expected returns.

How to value the stock and bond markets and project future returns. My future return assumptions for stocks, bonds, and gold for 2020 and beyond.

Calculate the expected annual return of your portfolio in Microsoft Excel by using the value and expected rate of return of each investment.

The following article will show you, step-by-step, how to calculate the historical variance of stock returns with a detailed example.