You can open a brokerage account that allows you to buy and sell shares of the index fund that interests you. Index funds come in both exchange-traded fund (ETF) and mutual fund forms. Alternatively, you can typically open an account directly with a mutual fund company that offers an index fund you're interested in.
There is no guarantee that if you sock away $100 per month at age 20 that you'll have $1 million by age 65. However, if you consistently invest your $100 per month in an instrument like an S&P 500 index fund, over a 45-year period, you're likely to build a substantial nest egg — perhaps even more than $1 million.
In fact, at the end of the five years, if you invest $1,000 per month you would have $83,156.62 in your investment account, according to the SIP calculator (assuming a yearly rate of return of 11.97% and quarterly compounding).
S&P 500 Investment Time Machine
Imagine you put $1,000 into either fund 10 years ago. You'd be up to roughly 126.4% — or $3,282 — from VOO and 126.9% — or $3,302 — from SPY. That's not exactly wealthy, but it shows how you can more than triple your money by holding an asset with relatively low long-term risk.
For our example, let's say you invest $10,000 in a 401(k) today and you aim to withdraw it in 20 years. While it's invested, you earn a 10% average annual return. After two decades, your $10,000 would be worth $67,275.
$3,000 X 12 months = $36,000 per year. $36,000 / 6% dividend yield = $600,000. On the other hand, if you're more risk-averse and prefer a portfolio yielding 2%, you'd need to invest $1.8 million to reach the $3,000 per month target: $3,000 X 12 months = $36,000 per year.
According to the $1,000 per month rule, retirees can receive $1,000 per month if they withdraw 5% annually for every $240,000 they have set aside. For example, if you aim to take out $2,000 per month, you'll need to set aside $480,000.
And you'll need to invest effectively, such as in a low-fee S&P 500 index fund. If you can invest $500 per month into the stock market and you earn its historical average annual return of roughly 10%, you'll be a millionaire in about 30 years. It will take about 21 years if you invest $1,250 per month.
Ramsey often recommends allocating investments into four types of mutual funds: growth, growth and income, aggressive growth, and international funds. This diversification strategy helps protect against market volatility and ensures a balanced approach to retirement savings.
Best stocks for beginners with little money include Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Coca-Cola (KO), Procter & Gamble (PG), and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO). These options are well-suited because they combine stability, growth potential, and income generation.
The Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF performed better than the Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF in the last decade because it had even heavier exposure to the technology sector. Specifically, the index fund returned 367% during the last 10 years, compounding at 16.6% annually. That easily beats the 242% gain in the S&P 500.
If you have $400,000 in the bank you can retire early at age 62, but it will be tight. The good news is that if you can keep working for just five more years, you are on track for a potentially quite comfortable retirement by full retirement age.
“By the time you hit 33 years old, you should have $100,000 saved somewhere,” he said, urging viewers that they can accomplish this goal. “Save 20 percent of your paycheck and let the market grow at 5% to 7% per year,” O'Leary said in the video.
Invest in Dividend Stocks
Last but certainly not least, a stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income. However, at an example 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000, which is a substantial upfront investment.
Let's say you want to become a millionaire in five years. If you're starting from scratch, online millionaire calculators (which return a variety of results given the same inputs) estimate that you'll need to save anywhere from $13,000 to $15,500 a month and invest it wisely enough to earn an average of 10% a year.
A $100,000 salary can yield a monthly income of $8,333.33, a biweekly paycheck of $3,846.15, a weekly income of $1,923.08, and a daily income of $384.62 based on 260 working days per year.
Buy $4000 worth of goods at wholesale, resell them with a 150% markup. Pay your taxes. Done. Invest some of the money in tools and supplies and provide a service.