Want to be a Millionaire in 15 Years? Here's What You Need to Save Now

Despite mounting student loan, credit card, and other debt, millennials are optimistic about their financial future.

TD Ameritrade released a survey in June that found 53 percent of millennials believe they will become millionaires in their lifetime, with 23 percent expecting to reach $1 million by age 50. Nearly 20 percent believe they will get to that threshold by 40 years old, and 7 percent expect to be there by 30.

These expectations may sound lofty, but becoming a millionaire doesn’t have to be a far-fetched concept. With the power of saving and investing, you could even do it in the next 15 years, starting from scratch – if you commit to saving far more each month than the average American. What would that look like?

To do so from zero savings, you would need to put aside $4,075 per month at a 4 percent rate of return; it would take $3,500 per month at a 6 percent rate. At an 8 percent rate of return, you would need to save $2,945 per month to get to $1 million in 15 years.

Of course, it helps to have existing savings. If you had $10,000 in the bank, you could make it happen on $4,000 per month at a 4 percent rate of return, $3,375 per month at 6 percent, and $2,850 per month at 8 percent. With $20,000 in existing savings, it would take $3,930, $3,325, or $2,775 per month at a 4 percent, 6 percent, and 8 percent rate of return, respectively.

It’s never too late to begin saving and investing. JJ Kinahan, the chief strategist for TD Ameritrade, recommends new investors start by learning the numbers – finding out how much you can contribute per year in a 401(k) or Roth IRA, then determining how much you can contribute relative to your salary and monthly expenses. He also recommends that any windfalls (like bonuses or tax refunds) be set aside rather than used to splurge.

Neophyte investors can use micro-investing apps like Acorns to start, or, at the recommendation of no less authority than Warren Buffett, research low-cost index funds to get in the game. You can also get investment ideas for free from Artificial Intelligence on tickeron.com.

No market is without fluctuations, making it impossible to guarantee the rates of return calculated here. Markets may exceed expectations for a time, then dip – it is also likely that life throws an occasional curveball, necessitating an emergency dip into savings. Regardless of the variables, saving and investing earlier allows investments the longest possible time to compound and weather the ups and downs of life and markets. Setting aside any amount of money per month is a great habit, with tangible long-term benefits. And who knows – with the right set of circumstances, you could even become a millionaire in 15 years.

Looking for Fresh Investment Ideas? See How Algorithms and A.I. Can Help

Want to invest and/or diversify your portfolio but unsure where to start? Artificial Intelligence can help! Tickeron has developed user-friendly Artificial Intelligence tools to help new and experienced investors generate investment ideas. Tickeron’s A.I. is capable of evaluating a portfolio and providing a “Diversification Score,” to tell the user how well-diversified their portfolio is. It can also generate investment ideas for a user’s 401(k) plan – even if you’re just getting started! The A.I. will give you ideas based on your risk tolerance, investment objectives, and the investment options available.

Tickeron’s new financial website is available to beginners, intermediate investors, and even experts and advisors. Explore tickeron.com today.

Contributor

Sergey Savastiouk|Expert

Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.

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