Compound interest helps your wealth grow by earning interest not only on the money you originally saved (the principal) but also on the interest that accumulates over time. This creates a snowball effect where your money can grow faster the longer it stays invested. For more information please visit 45 Cash

How It Works:

  1. Initial Investment (Principal): You start with some amount of money.
  2. Interest Earns Interest: After a period, interest is added. Then, future interest is calculated on the new total—not just the original amount.
  3. Growth Accelerates Over Time: Each cycle adds more to the total, which increases how much interest you earn next time.

Simple Example:

  • If you invest $1,000 at 10% annual compound interest:
    • After 1 year: $1,000 → $1,100
    • After 2 years: $1,100 → $1,210
    • After 5 years: $1,610
    • After 10 years: $2,593
    • After 20 years: $6,727

The growth speeds up even though you never added more money.

Key Benefits:

  • Works best over long periods.
  • You don’t have to constantly add large amounts; time does the heavy lifting.
  • Encourages early saving and investing to maximize results.

Compound interest rewards patience. The earlier you start, the more powerful the growth becomes over time.