Investing money in a brokerage account can help you build wealth as you get your money into the stock market and begin earning returns. Unfortunately, not everyone feels as if they can put a ton of money into their investment account to buy stocks.
The good news is, you don't have to have a ton of extra cash in your bank account and transfer tens of thousands of dollars into investments in order to make a meaningful impact on your future. Investing as little as $1 a day could help you to begin building wealth -- especially if you do it over a long time period.
Would $1 a day really actually amount to anything, though? Here's what you need to know.
Your $1 a day could turn into more money than you think
Although $1 a day doesn't seem like much, it can really add up over time as the table below shows. It's based on earning a 10% average annual return (in line with the market's performance over the last 50 years) and contributing $365 a year to an investment account every year.
| After… | Your $1 a day will be worth… |
|---|
| 5 years | $2,451.20 |
| 10 years | $6,398.88 |
| 20 years | $22,995.91 |
| 30 years | $66,044.35 |
Data source: Author's calculations.
As you can see, over time, the money really starts to add up -- and the returns you earn become pretty impressive. Over 30 years, for example, if you invested $1 a day, you would have contributed a total of $10,950 of your own money -- but you'd have more than $66,000 to show for it!
Your small investment would have snowballed because the returns each dollar that you invested would have earned returns of their own. Those returns could then be re-invested, helping your account balance grow even without any extra contributions on your part.
Start with $1 a day and go up from there
Investing $1 a day not only allows you to start taking advantage of compound interest. It also helps you to get comfortable with investing and develop the habit of putting your money to work for you.
As you can see, that single dollar can make a huge difference in helping you to become more financially secure. But the more you can contribute, the faster your wealth will grow and the better off you'll be. So, even if you can only start with $1, do it today. Many brokerage firms allow you to buy fractional shares, which are partial shares of stocks or ETFs, so you really don't have to wait long to start buying investments. Then, your money can start working for you.
To get started, sign up for a brokerage account if you don't have one already. Arrange to have money transferred over to it -- you could do $7 a week or $31 a month or whatever works for you. Then, research low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the performance of the market and start buying them. Over time, try to increase your contributions as much as you can -- chances are, you'll be excited to do that once you see your money growing.
Alert: our top-rated cash back card now has 0% intro APR until 2025
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a lengthy 0% intro APR period, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.
FAQs
If you're starting your investment journey with little money as low as a dollar, you can "realize" your returns by selling your positions. Then, you can use those capital gains to expand and diversify your portfolio. Ultimately, this will help you compound your investments.
Is investing $1 worth it? ›
If you're starting your investment journey with little money as low as a dollar, you can "realize" your returns by selling your positions. Then, you can use those capital gains to expand and diversify your portfolio. Ultimately, this will help you compound your investments.
How much money would I have if I saved $1 dollar a day? ›
With no interest involved, putting one dollar a day into a bank account (or a jar at home) will see you end up with $365 in a year. Multiply that amount by 30 years and you'll end up with $10,950.
How much will I have if I invest $5 a day? ›
If you put aside $5 per day, that's approximately $150 per month. And over the course of 30 years, you will have saved around $55,000 total. While that's a good chunk of change, it isn't $1 million or anywhere near it. The key is to invest those savings in a growth-focused ETF like the Invesco QQQ Trust.
How much would I have to invest to make $1,000 a month? ›
Invest in Dividend Stocks
A stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income, Mircea Iosif wrote on Medium. “For example, at a 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000.
How can I invest $1 dollar and earn daily? ›
Many brokerage firms allow you to buy fractional shares, which are partial shares of stocks or ETFs, so you really don't have to wait long to start buying investments. Then, your money can start working for you. To get started, sign up for a brokerage account if you don't have one already.
How much is $5 a day for 20 years? ›
Saving $5 per day
By setting aside just $5 per day (or around $150 per month) and investing it at a 6% return, your savings would grow to: After 10 years: $23,725. After 20 years: $66,214. After 30 years: $142,304.
What if I save $100 a month for 18 years? ›
Starting to save earlier could mean you'll have more saved
If you save $100 a month for 18 years, your ending balance could be $35,400.
How much money is $1000 a day? ›
$1,000 daily is how much per year? If you make $1,000 per day, your Yearly salary would be $260,000.
Is investing $50 a week good? ›
Assuming a 15% annual growth rate (on average), a $50 per-week investment could grow to a value of more than $1.5 million after 30 years.
So imagine you put $1,000 into either fund 10 years ago. You'd be up to roughly $3,282 with VOO 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.
Is saving $5 a day good? ›
Whether it's cutting back on trips to the coffee shop, eating out less, or reducing other daily expenditures, saving and investing just $5 per day can potentially be enough to put you on a path to growing your portfolio to $1 million, if you do it over a long enough period like 30 years.
What if I invest $200 a month? ›
If you're investing $200 per month while earning a 10% average annual return, you'd have around $395,000 after 30 years. While that's a long time to invest, keep in mind that this investment requires next to no effort. All the stocks are chosen for you, and you never need to decide when to buy or sell.
How to turn $100 dollars into $1,000 in a month? ›
10 best ways to turn $100 into $1,000
- Opening a high-yield savings account. ...
- Investing in stocks, bonds, crypto, and real estate. ...
- Online selling. ...
- Blogging or vlogging. ...
- Opening a Roth IRA. ...
- Freelancing and other side hustles. ...
- Affiliate marketing and promotion. ...
- Online teaching.
The Best Ways To Turn $1,000 Into $10,000
- Retail Arbitrage.
- Invest In Real Estate.
- Invest In Stocks & ETFs.
- Start A Side Hustle.
- Start An Online Business.
- Invest In Alternative Assets.
- Learn A New Skill.
- Try Peer-to-Peer Lending.
Real growth rates
| One time saving $1 (taxable account) | Every year saving $1 (taxable account) |
|---|
| After # years | Nominal value | Nominal value |
|---|
| 20 | 3.56 | 41.02 |
| 25 | 5.00 | 62.94 |
| 30 | 7.07 | 93.87 |
7 more rowsThe US dollar is one of the strongest currencies in the world today. As such, it is not as volatile as other currencies, including the Philippine peso. If you're looking to diversify your investments, you may want to consider investing in US dollars.
Why is a $1 in the future worth less than $1 today? ›
The time value of money is a concept that states a dollar today is always worth more than a dollar tomorrow (or a year from now). One reason for this is the opportunity costs of holding cash instead of investing in higher-return projects. It also arises due to inflation.
