Do you know the Rule of 72? It's an easy way to calculate just how long it's going to take for your money to double. Just take the number 72 and divide it by the interest rate you hope to earn. That number gives you the approximate number of years it will take for your investment to double.
The rule is this: 72 divided by the interest rate number equals the number of years for the investment to double in size. For example, if the interest rate is 12%, you would divide 72 by 12 to get 6. This means that the investment will take about 6 years to double with a 12% fixed annual interest rate.
The Rule of 72 is an estimate, and more accurate at around 8 percent interest. The further the interest rate or inflation rate is from 8 percent, the less precise the result will be.
All you need to use the tool is an interest rate, which means you can make estimates for your current account rate or use this rule to know what rate you should look for if you want to double your money by a specific deadline.
72 ÷ number of years in which you want the investment to double = targeted annual rate of return. For instance, if you know you want your money to double in 6 years, the rule of 72 would have you looking for an investment with an annual rate of return of around 12% (72÷6=12).
However, the Rule of 72 is based on a few assumptions that may not always be accurate, such as a constant rate of return and compounding period. It also does not take into account taxes, inflation, and other factors that may impact investment returns.
To answer the question of how to double my money quickly, simply invest in a portfolio of investment options like ULIPs, mutual funds, stocks, real estate, corporate bonds, Gold ETFs, National Savings Certificate, and tax-free bonds, to name a few.
Before buying an item, figure out how many times you'll use it. If it breaks down to $1 or less per use, I give myself the green light to buy it.
Yes, it's possible to retire on $1 million today. In fact, with careful planning and a solid investment strategy, you could possibly live off the returns from a $1 million nest egg.
The Rule of 72 is a simple way to estimate how long it will take your investments to double by dividing 72 by your expected annual return rate. Higher-risk investments like stocks have historically doubled money faster (around seven years) compared with lower-risk options like bonds (around 12 years).
Thus, it will take approximately 8.17 years.
Here's how the Rule of 72 works. You take the number 72 and divide it by the investment's projected annual return. The result is the number of years, approximately, it'll take for your money to double.
The Bottom Line. Safe assets such as U.S. Treasury securities, high-yield savings accounts, money market funds, and certain types of bonds and annuities offer a lower risk investment option for those prioritizing capital preservation and steady, albeit generally lower, returns.
The Rule of 69 is a simple calculation to estimate the time needed for an investment to double if you know the interest rate and if the interest is compounded. For example, if a real estate investor earns twenty percent on an investment, they divide 69 by the 20 percent return and add 0.35 to the result.
If you start with 1 dollar and double it every day for 30 days, you would have approximately $1,073,741,824. This shows the concept of exponential growth. Like the penny example, this is not typically possible in real-world investing scenarios.
Einstein also said that “If people really understood the Rule of 72 they would never put their money in banks.” Suppose that a 10-year-old has $500 to invest. She puts it in her savings account that has a 1.75% annual interest rate.
As per this thumb rule, the first 8 years is a period where money grows steadily, the next 4 years is where it accelerates and the next 3 years is where the snowball effect takes place.
IRAs: The RMD rules require individuals to take withdrawals from their IRAs (including SIMPLE IRAs and SEP IRAs) every year once they reach age 72 (73 if the account owner reaches age 72 in 2023 or later), even if they're still employed.
One of those tools is known as the Rule 72. For example, let's say you have saved $50,000 and your 401(k) holdings historically has a rate of return of 8%. 72 divided by 8 equals 9 years until your investment is estimated to double to $100,000.