Anticipated Interest

Anticipated interest could be a bunch of TV executives trying to decide if the world really wants to see them turn Howard the Duck into a series. Or it's a fancy way to describe the number of dollars you expect to get in interest from some investment.

The figure takes into account the amount invested, the interest rate and the amount of time. The figure presents the amount in a total number of dollars, rather than a percentage or a rate.

Put $10,000 in an investment earning 3% a year compounded monthly. The anticipated interest will be $304.16. (The 3% interest over a year gets you $300 - the additional $4.16 comes from the compounding of the interest on a monthly basis.)