Here's How Investing $50 Per Week Can Create $50,000 in Annual Dividend Income | The Motley Fool (2024)

Investing early and often can be an effective way to set yourself up for a great retirement.

Living off dividend income can be a great goal to strive for in retirement. Expenses are often lower during your retirement years, and generating $50,000 in annual dividends can help you live comfortably.

And while that is not a small amount of dividend income, generating that much in the future may not be as daunting of a challenge as it appears to be. Here's a look at how investing $50 per week can help fund your retirement years.

Investing in growth is the best option to build up your portfolio

Dividend stocks can be safe options for investors on a fixed income who need stability. But if you're looking at an investing period the spans decades, then growth stocks can be a much better option for you. That's because while there might be volatility and bad years along the way, that should balance out over the long term.

A great example is the performance of the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ 1.60%), which gives investors exposure to the top 100 nonfinancial stocks on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The tech-heavy fund includes big names such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. Over the past 10 years, its total returns (including dividends) have totaled 407%. That averages out to a compounded annual growth rate of 17.6% -- well above the long-run average of the S&P 500, which is close to 10%.

The fund is a good place to invest, especially if you're unsure of which stock(s) to put your money into. It can simplify your investing strategy, making it easier to set aside money every week into the fund.

Getting your portfolio to $1 million is the key

Before you can rely on dividend income, you first need a fairly large portfolio balance. And you can build it up over the years by investing just $50 per week (assuming minimal or no commission costs).

This chart shows you how, over a period of 30 years, investing $50 every week could grow your portfolio to more than $1 million.

Here's How Investing $50 Per Week Can Create $50,000 in Annual Dividend Income | The Motley Fool (1)

Chart by author.

Assuming a 15% annual growth rate (on average), a $50 per-week investment could grow to a value of more than $1.5 million after 30 years. And it would take a little more than 27 years for it to hit the $1 million mark.

Averaging such a high growth rate may be challenging, but even if it's not quite that high, you could still end up close to or over $1 million. And with a growth-focused fund such as the Invesco QQQ Trust, you can maximize your odds of achieving those kinds of returns without having to take on much risk in the process.

The next step is to invest in dividend stocks

If you get your portfolio to $1 million or more, you've accomplished the hard part. Once you've got a balance that high, you can put it to work by investing it into high-yielding dividend stocks. During your retirement years, you'll likely want to move away from growth stocks anyway, and into less volatile investments. And the higher that balance gets, the less of a dividend yield you'll need to generate some significant income.

If, for example, your portfolio gets to a value of $1.5 million, you could invest in a fund or multiple investments that yield an average of 3.3%. At that rate, you could generate $50,000 in annual dividends. With a lower portfolio balance of $1 million, you would need to target an average yield of 5%.

Invest early and often for the best results

Amid inflation and rising interest rates, it's not an easy time to find money to invest in stocks. But if you can find a way to cut $50 per week out of your budget to invest into a diversified fund such as the Invesco QQQ Trust, it can pay off in droves for you later in life.

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Nasdaq. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Here's How Investing $50 Per Week Can Create $50,000 in Annual Dividend Income | The Motley Fool (2024)

FAQs

How to turn 50K into 100K? ›

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

What is the best investment for $50,000? ›

Here are 10 options to help you and your family use $50K to build wealth and financial stability over time.
  • Invest in Treasurys. ...
  • Invest in an index fund. ...
  • Invest with a robo-advisor. ...
  • Invest with a brokerage account. ...
  • Consider alternative investments. ...
  • Buy a rental property. ...
  • Consider hiring a financial advisor.
Apr 11, 2024

How much money do you need to make 100 dollars in dividends? ›

At recent prices, these three stocks offer a 6.4% yield on average. This means an up-front investment of $1,580 spread evenly among them is more than enough to produce $100 in dividend income over the next 12 months.

How much money will I have if I save $50 a week? ›

Investing $50 a week, which translates to approximately $200 a month, is an excellent way to build your savings without putting a significant strain on your budget. Over a year, you'll have invested $2,600, and this consistency is key.

Can you turn 50k into a million? ›

A $50,000 windfall could really get you started securing your financial future. With time and some smart financial planning, you could create financial stability for yourself and your family — and could even turn your money into a million dollars by making some really basic investments.

How much is 5% interest on $50,000? ›

5% APY: With a 5% CD or high-yield savings account, your $50,000 will accumulate $2,500 in interest in one year.

Where is the safest place to invest $50000? ›

7 Ideas for How to Invest $50,000
  1. High-Yield Cash Account. Considered one of the safest investments, a high-yield cash account can potentially keep your money safe. ...
  2. Tax-Advantaged Investment Account. ...
  3. Taxable Investment Account. ...
  4. Real Estate. ...
  5. I-Bonds. ...
  6. Precious Metals. ...
  7. Alternative Assets.
Apr 4, 2024

What is the highest safest return on investment? ›

These seven low-risk but potentially high-return investment options can get the job done:
  • Money market funds.
  • Dividend stocks.
  • Bank certificates of deposit.
  • Annuities.
  • Bond funds.
  • High-yield savings accounts.
  • 60/40 mix of stocks and bonds.

How much money do you need to live off of dividends? ›

For example, if you require an income of 100,000 per year and were looking at a dividend yield of 10%, you would need to invest 1,000,000. To work out much you need, calculate your required income and then the percentage dividend yield you may be able to achieve.

Can you live off dividend income? ›

You can retire on dividends. To do so, you generally need to start investing in dividend-paying assets early and reinvest the dividends until you retire.

Can you make $1,000 a month with dividends? ›

In a market that generates a 2% annual yield, you would need to invest $600,000 up front in order to reliably generate $12,000 per year (or $1,000 per month) in dividend payments.

How much dividend stock do I need to make $1000 a month? ›

To have a perfect portfolio to generate $1000/month in dividends, one should have at least 30 stocks in at least 10 different sectors. No stock should not be more than 3.33% of your portfolio. If each stock generates around $400 in dividend income per year, 30 of each will generate $12,000 a year or $1000/month.

What is the best way to invest $50 dollars a week? ›

Invest early and often for the best results

Amid inflation and rising interest rates, it's not an easy time to find money to invest in stocks. But if you can find a way to cut $50 per week out of your budget to invest into a diversified fund such as the Invesco QQQ Trust, it can pay off in droves for you later in life.

Is investing $50 a week worth it? ›

“It's $2,600 a year, but when you start adding in interest, it grows very quickly.” For example, the Consumer Federation of America calculated that if you saved $50 per week every week for 40 years, you'd have $332,020 even if you invested it at a conservative rate of only 5 percent per year.

Can you survive on $50 dollars a week? ›

Planning out your meals so you use all of the ingredients, both raw and cooked, plus pantry staples and frozen goods means you can make a week's worth of dinners for around $50 in groceries. Note: each meal cost listed out is approximate.

How to turn 50k into more? ›

  1. Open a brokerage account.
  2. Invest in an IRA.
  3. Contribute to an HSA.
  4. Look into a savings account or CD.
  5. Buy mutual funds.
  6. Check out exchange-traded funds.
  7. Purchase I bonds.
  8. Hire a financial planner.
Nov 29, 2023

How to turn $10,000 into $100,000 fast? ›

Effective strategies include buying and scaling an established online business, investing in real estate through crowdfunding, flipping products or websites, and diversifying investments across stocks, mutual funds, and more speculative ventures like cryptocurrencies.

Can you make a living off of 50k? ›

If you earn $50,000 a year in San Francisco or New York, you undoubtedly will need a roommate — or three — to make ends meet. But in many cities in the United States, $50,000 a year is plenty to live on.

Is 50k considered a lot of money? ›

Is $50k a lot of savings? $50k is a lot of savings and definitely an important milestone to celebrate. However, 50k will not be enough to sustain you in retirement, so it's important to find ways to invest and continue to grow that 50k.

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