what is a good personal rate of return
(A high rate of return, of course, will beat that, but you'll have to work for it.) Assume that inflation is an annual 3% and capital gains are 15%. If your target is a 15% return before inflation and taxes, you'll end up with 12.4% return. (If you pay 20% in capital gains taxes, you'll end up with 11.6% return.) A really good return on investment for an active investor is 15% annually. That's healthy.