How much should you invest per month?
Quick Answer
As long as you commit to investing $200 per month or whatever you can afford, you'll put yourself into a much better financial position by the time you retire.
You can become a millionaire by investing $500 per month consistently for almost 30 years. This is a low-effort strategy, but you can achieve this goal even faster through the right combination of individual stocks.
Investing $1,000 a month may seem like a big task, as it's a total of $12,000 per year. But the average full-time worker earned $59,540 in the last quarter of 2022. So, investing $12,000 a year would mean putting away about 20% of your annual income if you earn around the average salary.
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. If you make a monthly investment of $200, your 30-year yield will be close to $400,000.
Key Takeaways
Investing just $100 a month over a period of years can be a lucrative strategy to grow your wealth over time.
Contributing $50 a month to an investment account can help create impressive savings, even at a moderate 5% annual growth.
To make $1,000 per month on T-bills, you would need to invest $240,000 at a 5% rate. This is a solid return — and probably one of the safest investments available today. But do you have $240,000 sitting around? That's the hard part.
Investing as little as $200 a month can, if you do it consistently and invest wisely, turn into more than $150,000 in as soon as 20 years. If you keep contributing the same amount for another 20 years while generating the same average annual return on your investments, you could have more than $1.2 million.
In fact, if you sock away $400 a month over a 43-year period, and your invested savings generate an average annual 10.5% return, then you'll end up with $3.3 million. And that should be enough money to enjoy retirement to the fullest.
Where can I retire on $500 a month?
Querétaro, a historic city in Central Mexico, and Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, islands off the coast of Cancun and Riviera Maya, all offer housing for as low as $500 a month, access to excellent healthcare, and an abundance of recreational activities.
For example, an investor who holds their portfolio for 10 years will put $60,000 into it (10 years of investing x 12 months per year x $500 per month), while an investor who holds the same portfolio for 20 years will contribute $120,000 worth of capital.
| Discount Rate | Present Value | Future Value |
|---|---|---|
| 2% | $1,000 | $1,485.95 |
| 3% | $1,000 | $1,806.11 |
| 4% | $1,000 | $2,191.12 |
| 5% | $1,000 | $2,653.30 |
Another option is investing in the stock market. While stocks can be more volatile, they also have the potential for higher returns. Finally, consider peer-to-peer lending platforms, which allow you to lend money to individuals or businesses in exchange for interest payments.
One of the popular budgeting guidelines is the 50/30/20 rule. It says that 50% of your earnings should go to necessities, 30% to discretionary items and 20% to savings. For example, if you earn $8,000 per month, you should save $1,600 of it.
One hundred thousand dollars a month is an excellent salary in the US. It equates to $1.2M per year. As a long time CEO, I have many executives that earn mid to upper seven figure salaries.
According to Ramsey's tweet, investing $100 per month for 40 years gives you an account value of $1,176,000. Ramsey's assumptions include a 12% annual rate of return, which some critics have labeled as optimistic given that the long-term average annual return of the S&P 500 index is closer to 10%.
| If you invest $100 a month for this many years... | ...this is how much you'll end up with. |
|---|---|
| 5 | $8,058.73 |
| 10 | $21,037.40 |
| 15 | $41,939.68 |
| 20 | $75,603.00 |
If you're investing $200 per month while earning a 10% average annual return, you'd have around $395,000 after 30 years.
| Time invested | Total money invested | Estimated total balance |
|---|---|---|
| 10 years | $12,000 | $17,802.12 |
| 20 years | $24,000 | $58,052.42 |
| 30 years | $36,000 | $149,057.67 |
How much is $100 a month for 5 years?
You plan to invest $100 per month for five years and expect a 10% return. In this case, you would contribute $6,000 over your investment timeline. At the end of the term, SmartAsset's investment calculator shows that your portfolio would be worth nearly $8,000.
A common myth about investing is that a big fat bank account is required just to get started. In reality, building a solid portfolio can begin with a few thousand—or even a few hundred—dollars. Here is some specific advice, organized by the amount you may have available to begin your investments.
By investing even a small amount consistently over time, you can potentially see your investments grow through the power of compound interest. Remember to do your research and seek the advice of a financial professional before making any investment decisions.
For example, if you are able to commit to investing $500 a month in an S&P 500 index fund like the Vanguard 500 Fund (NYSEMKT: VOO), you'll eventually have $1 million, and that includes paying the 0.03% expense ratio in the ETF, meaning you'll pay 3 cents each year for every $100 you have invested in the index fund.
- Idea 1: Invest in Dividend Stocks. Dividend stocks are one of the most common ways to earn passive income. ...
- Idea 2: Invest in Real Estate. ...
- Idea 3: Rent Out a Property. ...
- Idea 4: Invest in Peer to Peer Lending. ...
- Idea 5: Build an Online Business. ...
- Idea 6: Create an Online Course. ...
- Idea 7: Invest in Mobile Home Parks.
