Know when your money will get doubled - the rule of 72 (2024)

Every investor wants to grow his wealth by as much as possible in the shortest period of time. The time span required to double your money would depend on the returns or interest rate earned on your investments. Obviously, higher the interest or return on your investment, faster will your money double. You can very easily find out the time your investments would take to double your money using a DIY formula called 'the rule of 72'.

Rule of 72 is a simple formula where you divide the number '72' with the interest rate offered by your investment instrument to get an idea on how soon can you double your money with that particular investment.

For an instance, a bank FD offering an interest rate of 5% p.a., will take over 14 years to double your money. The formula is applied as below:

Rule of 72

=72/5

= 14.4 years

How much returns should your investments generate if you want to double your money?

Alternatively, by tweaking the formula a bit, you can find out returns required to double your money in a specific period. Let's find out:

If you want to double your money in three years, your investments should earn between 21% to 24% (72/3 years) every year.

Similarly, if you want to double your money in five years, your investments will need to grow at around 14.4% per year (72/5).

If your goal is to double your invested sum in 10 years, you should invest in a manner to earn around 7% every year.

Rule of 72 provides an approximate idea and assumes one time investment.

Time to double money under PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, KVP, NSC, NPS and mutual funds

We have taken the current interest rates or returns offered by these instruments.

PPF at an annual interest rate of 7.1% will take around 10 years to double your money assuming the interest rate remains at 7.1% (72/7.1 =10.14).

Similarly, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana will take around 9.4 years to double your money at the current interest rate of 7.6%.

KVP will take 10.4 years to double your money at the current interest rate of 6.9%.

National Savings Certificates at 6.8% interest rate will take 10.5 years to double your investments.

NPS Scheme C, Scheme G of Tier II account are giving on an average 11.5% returns in the one year period. Assuming similar performance, NPS will take 6.2 years to double your investments.

Short duration mutual funds and dynamic bond funds at present are giving around 8.5% returns in the last one year. Assuming similar returns, these instruments will take 8.4 years for your investments to double.

Debt medium to long duration mutual funds at 8.7% returns p.a, will take 8.3 years to double your investments.

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Published: 04 Oct 2020, 12:36 PM IST

Know when your money will get doubled - the rule of 72 (2024)

FAQs

Know when your money will get doubled - the rule of 72? ›

The Rule of 72 is a calculation that estimates the number of years it takes to double your money at a specified rate of return. If, for example, your account earns 4 percent, divide 72 by 4 to get the number of years it will take for your money to double. In this case, 18 years.

What is the Rule of 72 which amount will double faster? ›

How the Rule of 72 Works. For example, the Rule of 72 states that $1 invested at an annual fixed interest rate of 10% would take 7.2 years ((72/10) = 7.2) to grow to $2. In reality, a 10% investment will take 7.3 years to double (1.107.3 = 2). The Rule of 72 is reasonably accurate for low rates of return.

Is the Rule of 72 a reliable way to estimate doubling time? ›

The Rule of 72 gives an estimation of the doubling time for an investment. It is a fairly accurate measurement, and more so when using lower interest rates rather than higher ones. It is used for situations involving compound interest. A simple interest rate does not work very well with the Rule of 72.

How many years will it take to double an amount at 3 percent interest? ›

If your money is in a savings account earning 3% a year, it will take 24 years to double your money (72 / 3 = 24).

How many years does it take to double your money at 7%? ›

What Is the Rule of 72?
Annual Rate of ReturnYears to Double
6%12
7%10.3
8%9
9%8
6 more rows
Feb 14, 2024

How to double $2000 dollars in 24 hours? ›

Try Flipping Things

Another way to double your $2,000 in 24 hours is by flipping items. This method involves buying items at a lower price and selling them for a profit. You can start by looking for items that are in high demand or have a high resale value. One popular option is to start a retail arbitrage business.

What is the rule of 70 and how is it related to doubling time? ›

The rule of 70 is used to determine the number of years it takes for a variable to double by dividing the number 70 by the variable's growth rate. The rule of 70 is generally used to determine how long it would take for an investment to double given the annual rate of return.

What are the flaws of Rule of 72? ›

Errors and Adjustments

The rule of 72 is only an approximation that is accurate for a range of interest rate (from 6% to 10%). Outside that range the error will vary from 2.4% to 14.0%. It turns out that for every three percentage points away from 8% the value 72 could be adjusted by 1.

How to double 10,000 dollars? ›

Here are some ways to flip $10,000 fast:
  1. Flip items (buy low, sell high)
  2. Start a blog.
  3. Start an online business.
  4. Write an email newsletter.
  5. Create online courses or teach online.
  6. Invest in real estate with EquityMultiple.
Apr 8, 2024

How long will it take for my investment to double? ›

The rule says that to find the number of years required to double your money at a given interest rate, you just divide the interest rate into 72. For example, if you want to know how long it will take to double your money at eight percent interest, divide 8 into 72 and get 9 years.

How long will it take to double $1000 at 6 interest? ›

So, if the interest rate is 6%, you would divide 72 by 6 to get 12. This means that the investment will take about 12 years to double with a 6% fixed annual interest rate. This calculator flips the 72 rule and shows what interest rate you would need to double your investment in a set number of years.

How long will it take to increase a $2200 investment to $10,000 if the interest rate is 6.5 percent? ›

It will take approximately 15.27 years to increase the $2,200 investment to $10,000 at an annual interest rate of 6.5%.

How to calculate the rule of 72? ›

How Do You Calculate the Rule of 72? Here's how the Rule of 72 works. You take the number 72 and divide it by the investment's projected annual return. The result is the number of years, approximately, it'll take for your money to double.

Which stock will double in 3 years? ›

Stock Doubling every 3 years
S.No.NameCMP Rs.
1.Guj. Themis Bio.408.70
2.Refex Industries168.05
3.Tata Elxsi7103.70
4.M K Exim India91.75
14 more rows

Will my 401k double every 7 years? ›

One of those tools is known as the Rule 72. For example, let's say you have saved $50,000 and your 401(k) holdings historically has a rate of return of 8%. 72 divided by 8 equals 9 years until your investment is estimated to double to $100,000.

Will my money double in 10 years? ›

If you earn 7%, your money will double in a little over 10 years. You can also use the Rule of 72 to plug in interest rates from credit card debt, a car loan, home mortgage, or student loan to figure out how many years it'll take your money to double for someone else.

What is the Rule of 72 in simple terms? ›

Here's how the Rule of 72 works. You take the number 72 and divide it by the investment's projected annual return. The result is the number of years, approximately, it'll take for your money to double.

What is the Rule of 72 calculator? ›

The Rule of 72 is a way to estimate how long it will take for an investment to double at a given interest rate, assuming a fixed annual rate of interest. You simply take 72 and divide it by the interest rate number. So, if the interest rate is 6%, you would divide 72 by 6 to get 12.

What is the 8 4 3 compounding rule? ›

The rule of 8-4-3 for mutual funds states that if you invest Rs 30,000 monthly into an SIP with a return of 12% per annum, then your portfolio will add Rs 50 lacs in the first 8 years, Rs 50 lacs in the next 4 years to become Rs 1 cr in total value and adds further Rs 50 lacs in the next 3 yrs to reach Rs 1.5 cr.

What is the Rule of 72 quizlet? ›

Rule of 72. The number of years it takes for a certain amount to double in value is equal to 72 divided by its annual rate of interest.

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