Investing with compound interest can help double or triple your savings. Here's how (2024)

Compound interest — it's either the easiest way to double or even triple your savings, or a sure-fire ticket to bankruptcy.

Compound interest is different from simple interest. Simple interest is a fixed rate over time, based on the initial amount you've invested.

To understand simple interest, let's assume you deposit $100 into an account with a 5 percent interest rate. Multiply your principal by the interest rate, and then the amount of time you expect to keep that money in the account.

One hundred dollars times 5 percent, or 0.05, is $5. Keep that account going for 50 years, and you'll earn $250 in interest, for a grand total of $350.

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Compound interest is different. It's interest on top of interest. If you use it correctly, you can turn small initial investments into small fortunes.

Let's take that same $100 from the first example, and the same 5 percent interest rate. If that interest rate compounds each year, your $100 would turn into $1,146 at the end of 50 years. If you matched your initial investment of $100 each month, without changing anything, you'd end up with $252,364 after 50 years.

Compound interest can be great for investing your money, but if you are looking for a loan, it could easily let your debt grow out of control. The same compound interest used to make your investments grow exponentially over time, can also be applied to your unpaid balance on certain loans.

Check out the video to learn more about compound interest.

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Investing with compound interest can help double or triple your savings. Here's how (2024)

FAQs

How does compound interest help increase your savings investment? ›

Compound interest makes your money grow faster because interest is calculated on the accumulated interest over time as well as on your original principal. Compounding can create a snowball effect, as the original investments plus the income earned from those investments grow together.

Can compound interest double your money? ›

The result is the number of years, approximately, it'll take for your money to double. For example, if an investment scheme promises an 8% annual compounded rate of return, it will take approximately nine years (72 / 8 = 9) to double the invested money.

Is the Rule of 72 accurate? ›

The rule of 72 is only an approximation that is accurate for a range of interest rate (from 6% to 10%). Outside that range the error will vary from 2.4% to 14.0%. It turns out that for every three percentage points away from 8% the value 72 could be adjusted by 1.

How does the Rule of 72 work? ›

The Rule of 72 is a calculation that estimates the number of years it takes to double your money at a specified rate of return. If, for example, your account earns 4 percent, divide 72 by 4 to get the number of years it will take for your money to double. In this case, 18 years.

How much is $1000 worth at the end of 2 years if the interest rate of 6% is compounded daily? ›

Hence, if a two-year savings account containing $1,000 pays a 6% interest rate compounded daily, it will grow to $1,127.49 at the end of two years.

How do you get benefits from compound interest? ›

Compound Interest in Investing

Assets that have dividends, like dividend stocks or mutual funds, offer a one way for investors to take advantage of compound interest. Reinvested dividends are used to purchase more shares of the asset. Then, more interest can grow on a larger investment.

What is the 8 4 3 rule of compounding? ›

The rule of 8-4-3 when it comes to compounding indicates a style of investment that accelerates growth with time. Initially, a corpus doubles within 8 years through an average annual return of 12% subsequently another doubling happens for the same period after another 4 years following its initial setting up.

How compound interest can make you rich? ›

Compound interest is when the interest you earn on a balance in a savings or investing account is reinvested, earning you more interest. As a wise man once said, “Money makes money. And the money that money makes, makes money.” Compound interest accelerates the growth of your savings and investments over time.

What is the miracle of compound interest? ›

Interest can be compounded at any frequency, from daily to annually. The more frequent the compounding schedule, the faster your money grows. This is because the interest is added to the principal more frequently, so interest is paid on the higher amount more often.

How long will it take to increase a $2200 investment to $10,000 if the interest rate is 6.5 percent? ›

Final answer:

It will take approximately 15.27 years to increase the $2,200 investment to $10,000 at an annual interest rate of 6.5%.

How to double $2000 dollars in 24 hours? ›

The Best Ways To Double Money In 24 Hours
  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 to earn 10% interest per month? ›

  1. High-End Art (on Masterworks) Here's a fun fact: Art has outperformed the S&P 500 for decades. ...
  2. Invest in the Private Credit Market. Looking for superior returns? ...
  3. Gold IRAs. ...
  4. Paying Down High-Interest Loans. ...
  5. Stock Market Investing via Index Funds. ...
  6. Stock Picking. ...
  7. Junk Bonds. ...
  8. Buy an Existing Business.
4 days ago

What is the interest rate earned on a $1400 deposit when $1800 is paid back in one year? ›

Answer and Explanation:

Therefore, the interest rate earned on the $1,400 deposit is approximately 28.57%. So, the Simple interest is $400.

How to earn 12 percent interest? ›

Here are five easy-to-understand investment options that have the potential to generate a steady 12% returns on investment:
  1. Stock Market (Dividend Stocks) ...
  2. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) ...
  3. P2P Investing Platforms. ...
  4. High-Yield Bonds. ...
  5. Rental Property Investment. ...
  6. Way Forward.
Jul 20, 2023

How to double 1000 dollars? ›

Some of the most consistent strategies to double $1,000 include:
  1. Using the money to start a low-cost side hustle.
  2. Starting an online business.
  3. Buying and flipping goods.
  4. Retail arbitrage.
May 24, 2024

Is compound interest good for savings? ›

Whether you're saving for a house, retirement or another financial goal, compound interest can be a powerful tool to help get you there.

Why does compound interest increase the rate at which your investment grows? ›

Compound interest is a mathematical principle where interest accrues not only on the amount you invest, but also on the interest accrued on that amount. As time goes on and interest keeps accruing, the amount builds far more rapidly than what would otherwise be possible without compound interest.

How does compounding impact investing? ›

Compounding is a powerful investing concept that involves earning returns on both your original investment and on returns you received previously. For compounding to work, you need to reinvest your returns back into your account.

How does compound interest impact our accounts? ›

With a savings account that earns compound interest, you earn interest on the principal (the initial amount deposited) plus on the interest that accumulates over time. When you add money to a savings account or a similar account, you receive interest based on the amount that you deposited.

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