TWRR measures investment performance by removing the effect of external cash flows. It breaks the total investment period into sub-periods, calculates the return for each sub-period, and links them together. The result is a return figure that reflects only the fund manager’s decisions, not the investor’s timing of deposits or withdrawals. This makes TWRR the right metric for evaluating fund manager skill. A large investment made just before a market fall would hurt a money-weighted metric. TWRR ignores that timing entirely and focuses on how the portfolio performed on its own.
SEBI requires PMS providers to report performance using TWRR. This makes it the standard for comparing portfolio managers across different products and time periods.
XIRR (Extended Internal Rate of Return):
XIRR measures the actual annualized return an investor experiences based on the timing and size of every cash flow. It accounts for when money entered or left the portfolio and calculates a single annualized return that reflects the investor’s personal experience. XIRR is sensitive to timing. Investing a large amount just before a market fall will produce a lower XIRR even if the fund manager performed well. This is what separates it from TWRR: XIRR reflects your outcome, not the manager’s skill.
XIRR works best for tracking personal portfolio performance. It is the right metric for SIPs, lump sum investments with top-ups, and any scenario where cash flows are irregular.
CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate):
CAGR, the average annualized rate of return that an investment earned over a specified period longer than one year, assuming all profits were reinvested. CAGR assumes you put money in once and never touched it. It cannot fairly measure a portfolio where you make continuous deposits or withdrawals (like an SIP).