Here's What $50,000 in an S&P 500 Index Fund Would Be Worth Today if You'd Invested 10 Years Ago

The article reviews the S&P 500’s strong 10-year performance and argues that long-term, buy-and-hold investing in a broad S&P 500 index fund remains a compelling strategy. Motley Fool research shows the S&P 500 returned an average 15.5% annually over the last decade (with dividends reinvested), well above the 30-year average of 10.4%. Using those rates, a one-time $50,000 would have grown to about $211,246 over 10 years, $361,702 over 20 years, and $972,841 over 30 years. The writer recommends getting money into the market sooner rather than later, discusses lump-sum vs. dollar-cost averaging (example: $1,000/month for 50 months), and points readers to low-cost brokers like Charles Schwab and Fidelity. Overall the piece is bullish on long-term S&P 500 investing while cautioning that the last decade’s returns may be unusually strong.