Will Investing $100 a Month Really Make a Difference in Your Net Worth? (2024)

FAQs

Will Investing $100 a Month Really Make a Difference in Your Net Worth? ›

If you invest $100 a month, your money will earn returns for you. Your net worth will end up substantially higher due to your investment efforts. You may be able to find $100 extra to invest by eliminating a few small expenses or working a little overtime.

On average, the stock market yields between an 8% to 12% annual return. Investing $100 per month, with an average return rate of 10%, will yield $200,000 after 30 years. Due to compound interest, your investment will yield $535,000 after 40 years. These numbers can grow exponentially with an extra $100.

But by depositing an additional $100 each month into your savings account, you'd end up with $29,648 after 10 years, when compounded daily.

Your Retirement Savings If You Save $100 a Month in a 401(k)

If you're age 25 and have 40 years to save until retirement, depositing $100 a month into a savings account earning the current average U.S. interest rate of 0.42% APY would get you to just $52,367 in retirement savings — not great.

If you're still investing $100 per month, you'd have a total of around $518,000 after 35 years, compared to $325,000 in that time period with a 10% return. There are never any guarantees in the stock market, but with the right strategy, a little cash can go a long way.

Assuming that you can earn this 10% average return over your investing career, if you are getting started investing this year and you want to become a millionaire in 30 years, you would need to invest $506.60 per month. This amount may seem like a lot, but it may actually be pretty doable for many people.

When it comes to saving for retirement, money expert Dave Ramsey knows exactly how much you should be setting aside. Ramsey's recommendation, which he shared on his website Ramsey Solutions, is to invest 15% of your gross income into your 401(k) and IRA every month.

If you've managed to save $300k successfully, there's a good chance you'll be able to retire comfortably, though you will have to make some compromises and consider your plans carefully if you want to make that your final figure.

Consider two hypothetical investors. Investor A starts investing $100 a month at 25. By age 65, they would have a retirement balance greater than $640,000, assuming annual returns of 10%, which is the average return of the S&P 500 over the long term.

What if I invested $1000 in S&P 500 10 years ago? ›

Over the past decade, you would have done even better, as the S&P 500 posted an average annual return of a whopping 12.68%. Here's how much your account balance would be now if you were invested over the past 10 years: $1,000 would grow to $3,300. $5,000 would grow to $16,498.

If you're focused on long-term growth, investing $100 each month could be a good move for you. Many people invest through an IRA account. Check out our list of the best IRA accounts to learn more about how these investment accounts function.

For example, if an investment scheme promises an 8% annual compounded rate of return, it will take approximately nine years (72 / 8 = 9) to double the invested money.

Experts suggest investing 15% of your income each month, and more if you can afford to. However, if 15% is out of your budget right now, you should still invest what you can afford. Look to reduce your expenses to free up more money and invest more when it's feasible.

Investing just $100 a month can actually do a whole lot to help you grow rich over time. In fact, the table below shows how much your $100 monthly investment could turn into over time, assuming you earn a 10% average annual return.

A stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income, Mircea Iosif wrote on Medium. “For example, at a 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000.