What if I invested $100 a month in S&P 500?
According to historical data, the S&P 500 has had an average annualized return of approximately 16% over the past 10 years (as of September 2021). This means that if you invested $100 per month for 10 years and earned a 16% annual return, your investment would be worth approximately $29,995 today.
If the S&P 500 outperforms its historical average and generates, say, a 12% annual return, you would reach $1 million in 26 years by investing $500 a month.
For an S&P 500 ETF, you might need to pay the full price of a single share, which is generally upwards of $100—but some robo-advisors like Stash offer fractional shares for as little as $5.
Historically, though, the S&P 500 has earned an average rate of return of around 10% per year. This means that while you likely won't earn 10% returns year after year, all of the annual ups and downs should average out to roughly 10% annually over decades. Data source: Author's calculations via Investor.gov.
On average, the stock market yields between an 8% to 12% annual return. Investing $100 per month, with an average return rate of 10%, will yield $200,000 after 30 years. Due to compound interest, your investment will yield $535,000 after 40 years. These numbers can grow exponentially with an extra $100.
S&P 500 Monthly Return is at 5.17%, compared to 1.59% last month and -2.61% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 0.55%. The S&P 500 Monthly Return is the investment return received each month, excluding dividends, when holding the S&P 500 index.
Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.
Moreover, the S&P 500 is just one piece of the investment puzzle. Diversification is key to any successful investment strategy, and putting all of your eggs in one basket is never a good idea.
Reinvest Your Payments
The truth is that most investors won't have the money to generate $1,000 per month in dividends; not at first, anyway. Even if you find a market-beating series of investments that average 3% annual yield, you would still need $400,000 in up-front capital to hit your targets. And that's okay.
Key Takeaways
Investing just $100 a month over a period of years can be a lucrative strategy to grow your wealth over time. Doing so allows for the benefit of compounding returns, where gains build off of previous gains.
What is the minimum investment for S&P 500?
Fund (ticker) | 5-year annual returns | Minimum investment |
---|---|---|
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) | 15.2% | None |
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) | 15.2% | None |
Schwab S&P 500 Index (SWPPX) | 15.2% | None |
Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VFIAX) | 15.2% | $3,000 |
Another option is a low-cost S&P 500 mutual fund or ETF, both of which mirror the index and typically carry less risk than investing in individual stocks. An S&P 500 fund or ETF tries to replicate the performance of the index by investing in listed companies and working to match the index's performance.
But it's important to note that the S&P 500 index itself does not pay dividends—the companies in the index do. An investor has to buy shares of the companies themselves or of index funds in order to receive dividends. “The S&P itself does not pay a dividend,” explains Titan investment manager Christopher Seifel.
Investor D can invest $2,000 every month but has no lump sum. He is also sticking with the S&P 500 but assuming a rate of return of 9%. He will need 17 years and six months to become a millionaire.
You plan to invest $100 per month for five years and expect a 6% return. In this case, you would contribute $6,000 over your investment timeline. At the end of the term, your portfolio would be worth $6,949. With that, your portfolio would earn around $950 in returns during your five years of contributions.
Buy the index or pick individual stocks for passive income
Right now, the average dividend yield on the S&P/TSX 60 Index is around 3.11%. If you just bought the index, you would need to invest $154,340 to earn an average of $400 per month. Fortunately, you can do even better by picking individual stocks.
How that works, in practice: Let's say you invest $200 every month for 10 years and earn a 6% average annual return. At the end of the 10-year period, you'll have $33,300. Of that amount, $24,200 is money you've contributed — those $200 monthly contributions — and $9,100 is interest you've earned on your investment.
Those who are able to save a significant amount beyond their retirement account contributions may be able to generate $200 monthly in interest. “If you have $50,000 in a high-yield savings account offering 5% APY, that's $200 a month right there,” Henry says.
But there are usually taxes due on S&P 500 funds' dividends. The exact amount of taxes varies by taxpayer, though. For most taxpayers, in the 25% or higher tax bracket, qualified dividends are taxed at 15%.
In 2002, the fallout from frenzied investments in internet technology companies and the subsequent implosion of the dot-com bubble caused the S&P 500 to drop 23.4%. And in 2008, the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the subsequent global financial crisis caused the S&P 500 to fall 38.5%.
What is the return on the S&P 500 for 12 months?
5 Day | 2.43% |
---|---|
1 Month | 3.00% |
3 Month | 10.24% |
YTD | 9.89% |
1 Year | 32.00% |
The one time it's okay to choose a single investment
That's because your investment gives you access to the broad stock market. Meanwhile, if you only invest in S&P 500 ETFs, you won't beat the broad market. Rather, you can expect your portfolio's performance to be in line with that of the broad market.
Is Investing in the S&P 500 Less Risky Than Buying a Single Stock? Generally, yes. The S&P 500 is considered well-diversified by sector, which means it includes stocks in all major areas, including technology and consumer discretionary—meaning declines in some sectors may be offset by gains in other sectors.
In 1980, had you invested a mere $1,000 in what went on to become the top-performing stock of S&P 500, then you would be sitting on a cool $1.2 million today.
Assuming an average annual return rate of about 10% (a typical historical average), a $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 could potentially grow to approximately $25,937 over 10 years.
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