A penny doubled for 30 days will grow into over $5.3 million, or $5,368,709.12. Doubling your penny for 36 days makes you the world’s richest person with $343 billion.
How much could you make if you kept doubling your money for 60 or 90 days?
This article will show how doubling a penny daily for 30 days turns into over $5 million! We’ll also share some investing tips on making your money work harder for you and outline a simple way to make $1 million in the stock market.
What happens when you double a penny for 30 days?
You may be surprised at the outcome if you double a penny for thirty days! Starting from just one cent and investing it two-fold the next day, it would grow exponentially by the end of thirty days – to a massive $5,368,709.
This mathematical phenomenon is called exponential growth. Although the double-a-penny example may seem too incredible, understanding this concept can be invaluable in making smart financial decisions, such as choosing an investment account that pays compound interest. In addition, doubling a penny for thirty days is a fun and practical way to introduce ourselves and our children to simple mathematics, and we could all use more knowledge about how our money works!
How does doubling a cent for 30 days increase so quickly?
Have you ever wondered how it’s possible to double a penny thirty times and end up with over five million dollars? It’s all thanks to the power of exponential growth! With each doubling, the value increases drastically- for example, the second day would result in 2 cents, then 4 cents, 8 cents, and so on. What might look insignificant at first quickly adds up. By day 20, you would have only $5,243, but by day 28, you would have over $1 million. Two days later, you have surpassed 5 million dollars!
This phenomenon illustrates how quickly small investments or savings can snowball into a large yield.
How Doubling a Penny for 30 Days Works
Doubling a penny per day seems inconsequential at first, 1, 2, 4, 8 cents, and by day 10, you only have $5.12. But by day 21, you have over $20,000. As you can imagine, all the magic happens in the final 7 days, where the investment goes from $83 thousand to $5.3 million.
The table below shows how quickly exponential growth happens.
Table: Doubling a Penny for 30 Days
| Day | $ Amount |
| 1 | 0.01 |
| 2 | 0.02 |
| 3 | 0.04 |
| 4 | 0.08 |
| 5 | 0.16 |
| 6 | 0.32 |
| 7 | 0.64 |
| 8 | 1.28 |
| 9 | 2.56 |
| 10 | 5.12 |
| 11 | 10.24 |
| 12 | 20.48 |
| 13 | 40.96 |
| 14 | 81.92 |
| 15 | 163.84 |
| 16 | 327.68 |
| 17 | 655.36 |
| 18 | 1,310.72 |
| 19 | 2,621.44 |
| 20 | 5,242.88 |
| 21 | 10,485.76 |
| 22 | 20,971.52 |
| 23 | 41,943.04 |
| 24 | 83,886.08 |
| 25 | 167,772.16 |
| 26 | 335,544.32 |
| 27 | 671,088.64 |
| 28 | 1,342,177.28 |
| 29 | 2,684,354.56 |
| 30 | 5,368,709.12 |
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The Formula for Doubling a Penny for 30 Days
The formula for calculating a penny doubling in a spreadsheet is easy. Multiply the previous number by 2 in the following table row. e.g. =SUM(B2*2)
| Cell | A | B | C |
| 1 | Day | $ Amount | Formula |
| 2 | 1 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| 3 | 2 | 0.02 | =SUM(B2*2) |
| 4 | 3 | 0.04 | =SUM(B3*2) |
| 5 | 4 | 0.08 | =SUM(B4*2) |
How to calculate penny doubling in Excel.
How much is a penny per day doubled for 1 year?
A penny doubled daily for one year would mean you have $375,766. Googols. That is more pennies than there are elementary particles in the visible universe.
A Googol is a 1 with 100 zeroes after it or 1 to the power 100 (1100).
So a penny doubled daily for 1 year is an unbelievable amount equal to $375,766,813,243,813,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
A Year In The Life of a Penny Doubled
Math becomes fun when contemplating the sheer speed of exponential growth. Within a year, you will have more pennies than elements in the universe.
Fascinating Facts Behind Doubling A Penny For A Year
- If you double a penny for 36 days, you will be twice as rich as the richest person in the world with $343 billion.
- After 43 days of doubling your penny, you will be a trillionaire.
- After 39 days, you will own all the money circulating in the USA.
- After doubling your penny for 58 days, you will own all the money and assets on earth.
- Finally, after 1 year, you will have more pennies than base elements in the universe.
Table: Doubling A Penny For A Year
| Days | $ Amount | Fact |
| 1 | $0.01 | |
| 30 | $5,368,709 | You are a multi-millionaire |
| 36 | $343,597,384 | You are the richest person in the world. |
| 38 | $1,374,389,535 | You are a trillionaire. |
| 39 | $2,748,779,069 | You own all the money in circulation in the USA. |
| 43 | $43,980,465,111 | You are worth more than the US stock market. |
| 58 | $1,441,151,880,758,560 | You have all the money in the world (Quadrillion). |
| 68 | $1,475,739,525,896,760,000 | Quintillion. |
| 78 | $1,511,157,274,518,290,000,000 | Sextillion. |
| 98 | $1.584627 | Octillion. |
| 340 | $1.1199100 | Googol 10 to the power of 100. |
| 365 | $3.7577107 | There are more pennies than elements in the universe. |
Is it possible to double a penny every day for 30 days?
Theoretically, yes, but in reality, no! No investment will double every day; there are no investments that will double every year.
A good property investment might make a profit of 15% per year, or a great stock market year might yield a 30% profit. However, the average long-term investment typically averages 7% to 10% annually.
Crypto and Bitcoin investing yielded more than 100% per year in the early years, but that was an overhyped asset bubble/scam that has come crashing down to earth.
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There are not enough pennies in circulation to double in 30 days
Doubling a penny daily for 30 days might sound like a great way to make a quick buck, but it’s impossible. While doubling in value each day is theoretically doable, on the 30th day, you’d have more pennies than exist! Considering only about 180 billion pennies are in circulation, you would need 510 billion.
A penny doubled applied to investing.
When investing in stocks, we can apply the concept of a penny doubling to capital growth over time. Through writing multiple books on investing, I believe I can recommend a practical and simple way to accrue $1 million in the stock market.
A simple way to compound $10,000 to $1 million.
- Start with $10,000
- Invest it in a broad market ETF like the S&P500 (Ticker: SPY) or the Nasdaq 100 (Ticker: QQQ)
- Add $500 per month to your investment.
- You should earn 10% per year or 0.83% per month (the 20-year average return of the S&P 500)
| Month | Amount |
| 1 | $ 10,000.00 |
| 2 | $ 10,587.50 |
| 3 | $ 11,179.90 |
| 4 | $ 11,777.23 |
| 5 | $ 12,379.54 |
| 6 | $ 12,986.87 |
| 7 | $ 13,599.26 |
| 8 | $ 14,216.75 |
| 9 | $ 14,839.39 |
| 10 | $ 15,467.22 |
| 11 | $ 16,100.28 |
| Year 1 | $ 16,738.62 |
| Year 2 | $ 24,826.51 |
| Year 27 | $1,003,000.63 |
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How to create your millionaire investing plan.
Here are the formulas for use in a spreadsheet to calculate how much you can invest and how long it will take to get to your investing goals. Open a spreadsheet and copy and paste the contents below. Copy the formulas (in red) into the correct cells, and you are ready. Adjust the green cells to your available investment.
| Cell | A | B | C |
| 1 | Month | Amount | Monthly Addition |
| 2 | 1 | $10,000 | $500.00 |
| 3 | 2 | $10,587 – Formula =SUM(B2+$C$2)*($C$4+1) | Monthly Profit |
| 4 | 3 | $11,179 – Formula =SUM(B4+$C$2)*($C$4+1) | 0.83% – Formula =10%/12 |
| 5 | 4 | $11,777 – Formula =SUM(B5+$C$2)*($C$4+1) |
Why is doubling a penny for 30 days an important math lesson?
Understanding the power of saving is an important lesson, and mathematics can play an important role in illustrating this point. Doubling a penny for 30 days is one concept that can help students understand how the money will grow over time if it is invested properly.
Starting this experiment with just a single cent can show the amazing potential of using compounding interest to increase one’s funds. For example, many people are surprised to learn that by day 30, it would now be $5,368,709 – five million dollars!
This simple math exercise helps students realize that even though amounts may seem small or insignificant initially, investing wisely early on can make all the difference in the long term. Spanning generations, this lesson could prove to be an invaluable tool in helping younger generations save and reach their financial goals.
Summary
In this article, we explored what happens when you double a penny for 30 days straight and how much money you would have at the end of the experiment. We also looked at what happens when you double a penny for one year straight and how much money you would have at the end of the experiment.
Finally, we discussed why this simple math experiment is important and its implications for your finances.
FAQ
What is the best software for compounding investments?
Stock Rover is the best software for compounding investments. It provides detailed analysis of market data and a powerful suite of easy-to-use tools to track your portfolio performance, identify stocks with strong returns, and research future high-growth stocks.
What does “A Penny Doubled” mean?
"A Penny Doubled" refers to compounding, where you start with a penny and double it daily. For example, on the first day, you have one cent; on the second day, you have two cents; on the third day, you have four, and so on.
How much would a penny doubled every day amount to in a month?
If you double a penny every day for 31 days, you would have approximately $10.7 million. This demonstrates the power of exponential growth.
Is “A Penny Doubled” a realistic investment strategy?
While it demonstrates the impact of compound interest, it isn't a viable investment strategy. There are no investments that double their value daily.
What is the principle behind “A Penny Doubled”?
The principle behind this concept is compound interest, where the interest you earn each day is added to your principal so that the balance doesn't merely grow; it grows at an increasing rate.
Why is the “A Penny Doubled” concept important in finance?
This concept highlights the potential of compound interest and the significance of time in growing investments. It's a tool to understand the benefits of saving and investing early.
How does inflation impact the “A Penny Doubled” concept?
Inflation reduces purchasing power over time, which means the value of the money you accumulate through this method would be worth marginally less in the future.
Can I apply the “A Penny Doubled” concept to my savings?
Yes, you can apply it to your savings by consistently investing and reinvesting the returns over a long period. However, doubling your money daily is unrealistic.
What’s the difference between simple and compound interest?
Simple interest is only calculated on the original principal, while compound interest is calculated on the principal and accumulated interest of previous periods.
How can I calculate compound interest?
The formula for compound interest is A = P (1 + r/n)^(nt), where P is the principal amount, r is the annual interest rate, n is the number of times interest is compounded per year, and t is the time the money is invested for.
Why does the “A Penny Doubled” concept seem unbelievable?
Due to our linear thinking, we struggle to comprehend exponential growth, causing the results of this concept to seem incredible or even impossible.
What’s the history of the “A Penny Doubled” concept?
This concept's origin isn't clear, but it's been used for years to teach about compound interest, exponential growth, and the power of consistent investing.
Can the “A Penny Doubled” concept be used in other areas?
Yes, it can be applied to any area that experiences growth over time, like population growth, the spread of viruses, and even technological advancement.
What is the Rule of 72 in relation to “A Penny Doubled”?
The Rule of 72 is a simple way to determine how long an investment will take to double, given a fixed annual rate of interest. It complements the "Penny Doubled" concept by providing a practical tool for estimating investment growth.
Why is patience important in the “A Penny Doubled” concept?
The initial growth might seem slow, but the growth rate increases over time due to compounding. Therefore, patience is key to realizing the full potential of this concept.
What lessons can one learn from the “A Penny Doubled” concept?
The concept teaches the power of compound interest, the importance of time in investing, and the incredible results of consistent small actions over a long period.
