Investing

Investing can make you rich. It's the only way to turn a small amount of money into a fortune over time. Letting your money sit in a no interest checking account or a low interest savings account will actually hurt you, since you'll be losing money each year due to inflation. You should invest as much as you can, as soon as you can, provided you're not carrying bad debt. Bad debts are generally more costly than investment gains. So if you do have debts other than your mortgage, you should likely pay them off before starting to invest. You can use our Invest vs. Debt Payoff Calculator to be certain.

When you're ready to invest, our free calculators will allow you to see the future value of both one time and periodic investments, and our articles will provide you with all the information you need to make smart investment decisions and keep your risk at a level you're comfortable with.

Investment Calculators

Compound Interest Calculator (Periodic Investments)
Lump Sum Future Value Calculator
CD Interest & APY Calculator

Financial Goal Calculators

Financial Goal Calculator

Investing & The Value Of Compound Interest

Investing your money allows it to grow dramatically due to the affects of compound interest. If you put $100 under your mattress, 30 years from now it will still be $100. But if you invest that same $100 and are able to earn an 8% average rate of return, it will turn into $1,094. Your money will multiply almost 11 times. Let's look at the affect of compound interest on a fixed monthly deposit:

Monthly Deposit: $100
Interest Rate: 8%
Years: 30
Total Deposits: $36,400
Future Value: $143,008
Interest Earned: $106,608

If you're able invest just $100 each month for 30 years at an 8% rate of return, you'll turn $36,400 into $143,008. The more money you're able to put aside and the earlier you start, the greater the affect will be.

What You Should Know