This financial tool determines the internal rate of return on a portfolio, considering all cash flows. For instance, it accounts for the timing and size of deposits, withdrawals, dividends, and interest payments. It differs from time-weighted return, which isolates investment performance from the impact of deposits and withdrawals.
Accurately assessing portfolio performance provides valuable insights for investors. By incorporating the impact of cash flow timing, this method offers a more comprehensive understanding of investment returns compared to simpler methods that ignore these factors. This nuanced perspective is particularly relevant for portfolios with significant or irregular cash flows and has grown in importance with the increasing accessibility of sophisticated financial tools.