Real rate of return is the return on an investment after adjusting for inflation; it ensures the investment's value actually increases over time.
Source: Chapter 1, Why should one invest?
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The passage explicitly states: "look at an investment's 'real' rate of return, which is the return after inflation." Examiners expect you to include both key ideas — (1) return after inflation, and (2) its purpose of maintaining/increasing the investment's real value. One crisp sentence is enough for 1 mark.