Question: how do you calculate the rate of return on a portfolio?
Answer: Divide the gain by the starting value of the portfolio to find the total rate of return. In this example, divide the $10,000 gain by the $20,000 starting value to get 0.5, or 50 percent. Add 1 to the result. In this example, add 1 to 0.5 to get 1.5.