I love running scenarios and giving them to my friends with children younger than mine. Especially the ones that are waiting for the “dip”. You don’t need to wait for a dip when you’re investing in a growth fund for a 5 year old then holding it for 55 years!! That is the exact scenario. I advised them to put some money in an S & P growth fund, maybe even contribute a little each month until they turn 18 and see what happens.

Let’s carry your exact plan forward and see what it becomes by age 60.

📌 Recap of what you’re doing

• $10,000 initial investment into SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) at age 5
• $50/month until age 18 (13 years total contributions)
• Then no more contributions, just compounding
• Total invested: $17,800

📈 Value at Age 60

🔹 Conservative (7% return)

• Value at 18: ~$31K
• Value at 60: ~$530,000

🔹 Moderate (9% return)

• Value at 18: ~$35.5K
• Value at 60: ~$1.3 million

🔹 Strong (10% return)

• Value at 18: ~$38K
• Value at 60: ~$2.1 million

So why are we waiting??