How to Double Your Money Every 7 Years (2024)

Whether you want to evaluate offers that promise to "double your money fast" or establish investment goals for your portfolio, a quick-and-dirty method will show you how long it will take to double your money. It's called the Rule of 72 and can be applied to any investment.

How the Rule Works

To use the Rule of 72, divide the number 72 by an investment's expected annual return. The result is the number of years it will take, roughly, to double your money. For example, if the expected annual return of a bank Certificate of Deposit (CD) is 2.35% and you have $1,000 to invest, it will take 72/2.35 or 30.64 years for you to double your original investment to $2,000. If the expected annual return on a CD is 5% and you invest the same amount, it will take you 14.4 years to double your money.

CDs are great for safety and liquidity, but let's look at stocks. It's impossible to know in advance what will happen to stock prices. We know that past performance does not guarantee future returns. But by examining historical data, we can make an educated guess. According to Standard and Poor's, the average annualized return of the S&P index, which later became the S&P 500, from 1926 to 2020 was 10%. At 10%, you could double your initial investment every seven years (72 divided by 10). In a less-risky investment such as bonds, which have averaged a return of about 5% to 6% over the same period, you could expect to double your money in about 12 years (72 divided by 6).

Keep in mind that we're talking about annualized returns or long-term averages. In any given year, stocks might return 25% or lose 30%. Over a long period, the returns will average out to 10%. The Rule of 72 doesn't mean that you'll be able to take your money out of the stock market in 10 years. You might have doubled your money by then, but the market could be down, and you might have to leave your money in for several more years until things turn around. If you must achieve a certain goal or be able to withdraw your money by a certain time, the Rule of 72 isn't enough. You'll have to plan carefully, choose your investments wisely, and keep an eye on your portfolio.

Achieving Your Investment Goals

A professional financial advisor may be your best bet for achieving specific investing goals, but the Rule of 72 can help you get started. If you know that you need to have a certain amount of money by a certain date, for example, for retirement or to pay for your newborn child's college tuition, the Rule of 72 can give you a general idea of which asset classes you'll need to invest in to achieve your goal.

First, you can use the Rule of 72 to determine how much college might cost in 18 years if tuition increases by an average of 4% per year. Divide 72 by 4% and you know that college costs are going to double every 18 years.

Right now you have $1,000 to invest and with an 18-year time horizon, you want to put it all in stocks. We saw in the previous section that investing in the S&P 500 has historically allowed investors to double their money about every six or seven years. Your initial $1,000 investment will grow to $2,000 by year 7, $4,000 by year 14, and $6,000 by year 18. Suddenly 18 years isn't as long a time horizon as you thought, perhaps leading you to rethink your investment strategy.

The Bottom Line

While the Rule of 72 is a good investment guideline, it only provides a framework. If you're looking for a more precise outcome, you'll need to better understand an asset's future value formula. The Rule of 72 also does not take into account the effect of investment fees, such as management fees and trading commissions, can have on your returns. Nor does it account for the losses you'll incur from any taxes you have to pay on your investment gains.

How to Double Your Money Every 7 Years (2024)

FAQs

How to Double Your Money Every 7 Years? ›

1 At 10%, you could double your initial investment every seven years (72 divided by 10). In a less-risky investment such as bonds, which have averaged a return of about 5% to 6% over the same period, you could expect to double your money in about 12 years (72 divided by 6).

Will my money double in 7 years? ›

All you do is divide 72 by the fixed rate of return to get the number of years it will take for your initial investment to double. You would need to earn 10% per year to double your money in a little over seven years.

Does a 401k double every 7 years? ›

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.

Does the S&P 500 double every 7 years? ›

According to his math, since 1949 S&P 500 investments have doubled ten times, or an average of about seven years each time. In some cases, like 1952 to 1955 or 1995 to 1998, the value of the investment doubled in only three years.

What is the 7 year rule for investing? ›

To estimate the number of years it would take to double your money at a 7% annual rate of return, you can use the Rule of 72. Divide 72 by the annual rate of return: 72 ÷ 7 = 10.29.

How long will it take $1000 to double at 6 interest? ›

This means that the investment will take about 12 years to double with a 6% fixed annual interest rate. This calculator flips the 72 rule and shows what interest rate you would need to double your investment in a set number of years.

What age should you have 100k in 401k? ›

“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.

Is 7% annual return realistic? ›

In short, the average stock market return since the S&P 500's inception in 1926 through 2018 is approximately 10-11%. When adjusted for inflation, it's closer to about 7%. [Since we're talking citations in this post: Investopedia.]

What is the 12 month rule for 401k? ›

In addition, if the employer cannot distribute the plan's assets as soon as administratively feasible—generally within 12 months of the termination date, then the plan is not considered terminated, and future compliance requirements should be met.

How to get 11.5% on your money? ›

You can get more than 11 per cent from a new retail bond if you tie up your money for three years, but it doesn't come without risks.

How long does it take 100k to double? ›

How To Use the Rule of 72 To Estimate Returns. Let's say you have an investment balance of $100,000, and you want to know how long it will take to get it to $200,000 without adding any more funds. With an estimated annual return of 7%, you'd divide 72 by 7 to see that your investment will double every 10.29 years.

What is a good 10 year return on investment? ›

5-year, 10-year, 20-year and 30-year S&P 500 returns
Period (start-of-year to end-of-2023)Average annual S&P 500 return
5 years (2019-2023)15.36%
10 years (2014-2023)11.02%
15 years (2009-2023)12.63%
20 years (2004-2023)9.00%
2 more rows
May 3, 2024

What happens if you invest $1,000 a month for 20 years? ›

Now, you may be thinking that $1,000 a month for 20 years is a lot of money -- and you're right. But it's nowhere near $687,306.72. In fact, the actual value of your contributions alone would be $240,000, so you could end up with about $447,307 more than the amount you put in.

How much interest do you need to double your money in 7 years? ›

1 At 10%, you could double your initial investment every seven years (72 divided by 10). In a less-risky investment such as bonds, which have averaged a return of about 5% to 6% over the same period, you could expect to double your money in about 12 years (72 divided by 6).

What happens if you invest 20000 a month for 10 years? ›

If someone would have started investing Rs 20,000 monthly 10 years ago in this scheme, the value of their corpus would have been Rs 93.81 lakh in present times. The total investment during the entire period would have been Rs 24 lakh, while the wealth gain would have been Rs 69.81 lakh.

How many years does a sum of money doubles itself in 7 years? ›

The correct Answer is:21. Step by step video, text & image solution for A sum of money doubles itself in 7 years. In how many years it will become 4 times ? by Maths experts to help you in doubts & scoring excellent marks in Class 14 exams.

How long does it take to double your money with a 7% return? ›

Why it Pays to Know the Math
Rate of ReturnRule of 72 # of Years to Double MoneyLogarithmic Formula # of Years to Double Money
5%14.414.2
6%12.011.9
7%10.310.2
8%9.09.0
15 more rows
Sep 14, 2023

How much sum of money will be doubled itself in 8 years? ›

⇒R=100T=1008=12.5%

How much interest will double money in 10 years? ›

If you earn 7%, your money will double in a little over 10 years. You can also use the Rule of 72 to plug in interest rates from credit card debt, a car loan, home mortgage, or student loan to figure out how many years it'll take your money to double for someone else.

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