Investing $50 a month could add up nicely for your retirement (2024)

FAQs

Investing $50 a month could add up nicely for your retirement? ›

If you invest $50 over 40 years at 10%, you'll end up with around $265,000. That's certainly a nice amount of money. In fact, a recent study by Northwestern Mutual found that the average American has $89,300 saved for retirement.

Investing only $50 a month adds up

Contributing $50 a month to an investment account can help create impressive savings, even at a moderate 5% annual growth. It's a common myth that you need a few thousand dollars to begin investing.

Let's start with the obvious: If you're not contributing any money to retirement, even $50 per month will make a substantial difference. That monthly contribution could add up to nearly $24,600 after 20 years, $56,700 after 30 years, and $119,800 after 40 years. That's still not enough to retire on, but it's a start.

You should consider saving 10 - 15% of your income for retirement. Sound daunting? Don't worry: your employer match, if you have one, counts. If you save 5% of your income and your boss matches another 5%, you've accomplished a 10% savings rate.

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.

With a good interest rate, say around 7% a year, your $50 a month turns into a lot more than just the $24,000 you put in. By the end of 40 years, you could end up with over $120,000. This shows how saving a little bit regularly can really grow into a big amount over the years.

The good news, though, is that you don't need to be a stock market expert or have thousands of dollars per month to invest. In fact, with just $100 per month, you could potentially build a portfolio worth $325,000 or more.

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.

Making $4,000 a month based on your investments alone is not a small feat. For example, if you have an investment or combination of investments with a 9.5% yield, you would have to invest $500,000 or more potentially. This is a high amount, but could almost guarantee you a $4,000 monthly dividend income.

In that case, investing $100 a month over 40 years will leave you with an ending balance of around $531,000. Meanwhile, you'll only be contributing a total of $48,000 to get to that point. So all told, you're looking at a $483,000 gain, which is pretty impressive.

Is $500 a month enough to save for retirement? ›

If you start saving $500 a month for your retirement fund at the age of 30, you'll still be setting yourself up for greater financial stability when retirement arrives. By stashing away that much each month, you can expect to accumulate around $400,000 by the time you reach 60.

The short answer is yes, $500,000 is enough for many retirees. The question is how that will work out for you. With an income source like Social Security, modes spending, and a bit of good luck, this is feasible. And when two people in your household get Social Security or pension income, it's even easier.

That means that even if you're not one of those lucky few who have $1 million or more socked away, you can still retire well, so long as you keep your monthly budget under $3,000 a month.

The results. The top two states to retire in according to our formula are — drumroll please — Alaska and New Hampshire! Alaska has the lowest tax burden of any state at 5.06%.

If you set aside $50 a month for one year, you'll have $600 saved. That's better than $0. As you continue to contribute more money, your account balance will grow. By keeping your extra cash in a high-yield savings account, you can earn interest while your money sits in the bank.

$50 monthly is how much per year? If you make $50 per month, your Yearly salary would be $600.

The Bottom Line

Putting aside $25 a month to invest in a savings account, mutual fund, or individual retirement account is a worthwhile venture. However, pay extra attention to make sure profits counteract fees.