The Heat Map shows the inflation adjusted annual returns for different holding periods and different starting years. This gives a clear picture as to how your investing journey would have unfolded depending upon when you started investing.
Interpreting the Graph:
The Heat Map displays the annualized geometric returns or compound annual growth rate (CAGR) based on your asset allocation and which year you started investing. A 5% annual growth rate displayed in year 10 would mean you earned 5% annually over that 10 year time frame. Since monthly data is available, you can also specify the starting month for every year.