Have you ever heard of the Rule of 72?
It’s a formula for figuring out how long it’ll take to double an investment.1
That makes it a good estimator of something known as compound interest.
Compound interest is basically interest on your interest.
It’s a HUGE perk of saving early and consistently, especially in retirement.
How?
Well, with compound interest, you can grow your longer-term investments faster.
You can even insulate yourself a little better from unknowns like inflation and shifting markets.
Here’s how it works.
Let’s say you’ve invested $10,000 in a retirement account with a ~6% average rate of return.
Using the Rule of 72, you’d divide 72 by 6 to figure out how long it would take to double that $10K:
72 ÷ 6 = 12
So, it would take roughly 12 years to turn that $10K into $20K.
That’s the power of compound interest.
And you can take advantage of this in your retirement planning and savings to build a nest egg that will serve you well after you stop working.
Sources:
1. https://www.cnbc.com/select/