John, Mary and Linda aren’t real, but the return of the S&P 500 is! $1,000 invested 65 years ago is now worth over half a million dollars! That represents a 10.1% annualized return. And if you’re thinking, “aw man, I missed it”. No you didn’t! It’s CURRENTLY HAPPENING. The S&P 500 year to date return is 12.2%. Last year it was 28.9%. In 2018 it was -6.2% (yeah, there’s an occasional down year which got us to the average of 10%). But in 2017 it was 19.4%‎
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It goes like this back over 100 years, since the dawn of the stock market. This works because the stock market is made up of thousands of companies who are all growing, selling, innovating, and profiting. All of that value is funneled back to the owners of the company. Who are the owners? Anyone who owns stock! It could be you! Buying one share of stock gets you a tiny little piece. But the more money you put in, the bigger your return. That’s how you build this kind of wealth over time. (It would also be a very nice gift for a baby).‎
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Speaking of gifts (good segue, huh) after being asked a million times where to get one of my slick PFC t-shirts, I’m excited to announce the launch of the PFC swag shop! If you’re following the two rules (and you’re out of debt) and want to rep a shirt, mug, or sticker with your favorite IG finance dude, now you can! Or maybe it would make a fun gift for that PFC lover in your life. You can find the shop over at shop.personalfinanceclub.com. As always, 20% of all sales go to charity! I donate based on top line sales, not profits… which means I basically make nothing on the merch, but will still be a powerful engine for charity. I donated over $21,000 to teachers in November. Let’s keep that train rolling! :)‎
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As always, reminding you to build wealth by following the two PFC rules: 1.) Live below your means and 2.) Invest early and often.‎
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-Jeremy‎

via Instagram

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