Jamie deposits $1,000 into an account that pays 4% interest compounded annually. Chris deposits $1,000 into an account that pays 4% simple interest. Both deposits were made today. All else equal, Jamie made the better investment.

Compounded Annually

Refers to the process of earning interest on both the initial principal and the accumulated interest from previous periods, calculated once per year.

Simple Interest

Interest earned or paid that is not compounded, and is based only on the principal amount.