What defines the Internal Rate of Return (IRR)?

The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is fundamentally defined by the point at which the Net Present Value (NPV) of a series of cash flows from an investment or project equals zero. This signifies that the project's expected earnings, discounted back to the present value at the IRR, perfectly match the initial investment cost. In practical terms, if the IRR of a project exceeds the required rate of return or cost of capital, the project is generally considered viable and attractive for investment. Thus, the core idea behind IRR is to determine the breakeven point of investment profitability, making the definition tying it to NPV being zero critical in evaluating investment potential.