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

Finding extra money to put into a brokerage account and invest can be really challenging -- especially if you have pressing expenses to take care of today.

It may seem really intimidating to try to transfer a ton of money out of your checking account to a brokerage firm to buy stocks. But what if you don't have to invest a fortune? If you invest just $100 a month, will that contribution really make a big difference in your net worth in the end?

How $100 a month can help make you wealthy

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.

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
25$129,818.12
30$217,132.11

Data source: Author's calculations

That's a substantial amount of money to end up with, especially given that the median 401(k) balance for individuals ages 65 or over is just $87,725. You could end up with well over double what the typical American has saved for retirement, just from your $100 a month investment alone.

How investing $100 a month helps your wealth grow

A $100 monthly investment doesn't seem like a lot, but when you put this money into the market, it earns returns. If you earn 10%, in a year, your $100 initial investment would be worth $110.00. Next year, you would earn 10% not on $100, but instead on $110, so you'd end up with $121.00. This happens with each investment that you make and with each year that passes, and it has a snowball effect.

The more you're able to invest and the more time you have for compound growth to work, the more powerful the impact is. But even if you don't have more than $100 a month to invest right now, you're better off getting the money into the stock market and getting it working for you so your snowball can start to build.

If you're not sure where to come up with an extra $100 a month, some possible options for you could include:

  • Do a few hours of overtime or extra work. If you can earn $15 an hour, you'd only need to work for about seven hours during the course of the entire month to make $100 extra to invest. Many people can find seven hours.
  • Go through your budget carefully. You can probably find one or more expenses to cut that add up to $100. Switching to a cheaper cellphone plan, canceling a streaming service you don't use much, and giving up one meal out would probably get you there.

Over time, if you can increase the amount you invest, that would be ideal as you can build even more wealth. But you don't have to worry about that when you're just getting started. Just begin with that first $100. As you see how your money grows, you may get excited about investing and find new ways to increase your contributions -- and thus the power of compound growth in your wealth-building efforts.

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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? ›

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%.

Is investing $100 a month worth it? ›

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.

How much is $100 a month invested from 25 to 65? ›

$1,176,000. You do NOT have to retire broke. saved more.

Is $100 enough to start investing? ›

If you think $100 won't be enough to invest, think again. With a little patience and discipline, you can grow that small sum of money quickly. After all, the amount you invest at first is not really what matters when it comes down to it. It's all about getting started.

How much money will I have if I save $100 a month? ›

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.

Is $100 a month good for retirement? ›

Rather than hitting it big with speculative investments, the real key is consistent investment from as early an age as possible. If you do that, investing just $100 per month may be enough to get you to a seven-digit retirement account.

What is a good amount of money to invest monthly? ›

Investing 15% of your income is generally a good rule of thumb to meet your long-term goals. Even if you can't afford to invest that much today, you can still start investing with what you can afford. Your investment amount may fluctuate as your cash flow changes, but staying consistent can pay off in the long run.

How much will I have if I invest $100 a month for 40 years? ›

The numbers may surprise you -- in a good way

In fact, if you invest $100 a month over 40 years, you could end up with a portfolio worth $531,000. However, that number hinges on a very big assumption, and it's that your portfolio is generating an average yearly 10% return.

How much do I need to invest a month to become a millionaire in 10 years? ›

Now, let's consider how our calculations change if the time horizon is 10 years. If you are starting from scratch, you will need to invest about $4,757 at the end of every month for 10 years. Suppose you already have $100,000. Then you will only need $3,390 at the end of every month to become a millionaire in 10 years.

How much will I have if I invest $500 a month for 10 years? ›

What happens when you invest $500 a month
Rate of return10 years20 years
4%$72,000$178,700
6%$79,000$220,700
8%$86,900$274,600
10%$95,600$343,700
Nov 15, 2023

How to turn $100 into $1000? ›

10 best ways to turn $100 into $1,000
  1. Opening a high-yield savings account. ...
  2. Investing in stocks, bonds, crypto, and real estate. ...
  3. Online selling. ...
  4. Blogging or vlogging. ...
  5. Opening a Roth IRA. ...
  6. Freelancing and other side hustles. ...
  7. Affiliate marketing and promotion. ...
  8. Online teaching.
Apr 12, 2024

How can I double 100 dollars? ›

How To Double Money In 24 Hours – 10+ Top Ideas
  1. Flip Stuff For Profit.
  2. Start A Retail Arbitrage Business.
  3. Invest In Real Estate.
  4. Play Games For Money.
  5. Invest In Dividend Stocks & ETFs.
  6. Use Crypto Interest Accounts.
  7. Start A Side Hustle.
  8. Invest In Your 401(k)
May 24, 2024

How much do you need to invest to actually make money? ›

Generally, experts recommend investing around 10-20% of your income. But the more realistic answer might be whatever amount you can afford. If you're wondering, “how much should I be investing this year?”, the answer is to invest whatever amount you can afford!

How can I start investing with just $100 a month? ›

4 easy ways to start investing with little money
  1. Retirement plans for retirement goals. ...
  2. Low-cost brokerage accounts for (nonretirement) financial goals. ...
  3. Index funds and ETFs. ...
  4. Help from robo-advisors.
Apr 18, 2024

How much should I invest a month to become a millionaire? ›

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.

How long in years will it take a $300 investment to be worth $1000 if it is continuously compounded at 9% per year? ›

It will take approximately 13.33 years for a $300 investment to grow to $1000 with continuous compounding at an annual interest rate of 9%.

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