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? ›

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.

How 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 is the 7 year rule for compound interest? ›

For example, the Rule of 72 states that $1 invested at an annual fixed interest rate of 10% would take 7.2 years ((72 ÷ 10) = 7.2) to grow to $2. In reality, a 10% investment will take 7.3 years to double (1.107.3 = 2). The Rule of 72 is reasonably accurate for low rates of return.

What is the 7 year rule for investing? ›

The 7-Year Rule for investing is a guideline suggesting that an investment can potentially grow significantly over a period of 7 years. This rule is based on the historical performance of investments and the principle of compound interest.

How can I double my money legally fast? ›

5 ways that you can double your money
  1. Get a 401(k) match. Talk about the easiest money you've ever made! ...
  2. Invest in an S&P 500 index fund. An index fund based on the Standard & Poor's 500 index is one of the more attractive ways to double your money. ...
  3. Buy a home. ...
  4. Trade cryptocurrency. ...
  5. Trade options.
Nov 3, 2023

What is rule no. 72 in finance? ›

The Rule of 72 is a calculation that estimates the number of years it takes to double your money at a specified rate of return. If, for example, your account earns 4 percent, divide 72 by 4 to get the number of years it will take for your money to double. In this case, 18 years.

Do investments really double every 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.

What is the 8-4-3 rule of compounding? ›

Now, as per the 8-4-3 Rule: Year 1-8: With a compounded return of 12% on average, your investment might reach approximately Rs 8.36 lakh by the end of year 8. It considers both your monthly contributions and the returns generated. Years 9-12: The power of compounding kicks in.

How long will it take $1000 to double at 5 interest? ›

To find out how many years it will take your investment to double, you can take 72 divided by your annual interest rate. For instance, if your savings account has an annual interest rate of 5%, you can divide 72 by 5 and assume it'll take roughly 14.4 years to double your investment.

How to double $2000 dollars in 24 hours? ›

How To Double Money In 24 Hours – 10+ Top Ideas
  1. Flip Stuff For Profit.
  2. Start A Retail Arbitrage Business.
  3. Invest In Real Estate.
  4. Play Games For Money.
  5. Invest In Dividend Stocks & ETFs.
  6. Use Crypto Interest Accounts.
  7. Start A Side Hustle.
  8. Invest In Your 401(k)
May 1, 2024

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

How long has it historically taken a stock investment to double? NYU business professor Aswath Damodaran has done the math. According to his math, since 1949 S&P 500 investments have doubled ten times, or an average of about seven years each time.

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.

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

Investing $1,000 a month for 20 years would leave you with around $687,306. The specific amount you end up with depends on your returns -- the S&P 500 has averaged 10% returns over the last 50 years. The more you invest (and the earlier), the more you can take advantage of compound growth.

How does the 7 year rule work? ›

The 7 year rule

No tax is due on any gifts you give if you live for 7 years after giving them - unless the gift is part of a trust. This is known as the 7 year rule.

Can I double my money in 5 years? ›

As a rate of return, long-term mutual funds can offer rates between 12% and 15% per year. With these mutual funds, it may take between 5 and 6 years to double your money.

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 to double $50,000 quickly? ›

How To Turn 50K Into 100K – The Best Methods To Double Your Money
  1. Start An Online Business. ...
  2. Invest In Real Estate. ...
  3. Invest In Stocks & ETFs. ...
  4. Invest In A Blog. ...
  5. Retail Arbitrage. ...
  6. Invest In Alternative Assets. ...
  7. Create A Rental Business. ...
  8. Invest In Small Businesses.
7 days ago

How to double $20,000 in a year? ›

The Best Ways To Double $20,000
  1. Invest In Real Estate. One of the best ways to double 20,000 dollars is to invest in income-generating real estate. ...
  2. Start An Online Business. ...
  3. Invest In Stocks & ETFs. ...
  4. Invest In Small Businesses. ...
  5. Start A Service-Based Business. ...
  6. Try Crypto Investing. ...
  7. Retail Arbitrage.
May 1, 2024

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