A three-point plan to retiring with a million

Think millionaire status is out of reach? Think again.

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

Beach Sunset

Image: Fair Use

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

So you want to know how to retire as a millionaire? It’s a lot easier easier than you think. But the chances are, if you want to make it happen, you need to start now. So listen in. Here’s a three-point plan to retiring with a million.

Create a millionaire plan

The first step towards millionaire status is creating a plan. As with any big goal in life, you need a plan that will help you get there. Without one, it’s too easy to lose focus. Spend a few hours putting together a rock-solid one, and you’ll have done 90% of the hard work towards millionaire status already.

What should your plan involve? It should examine factors such as the amount you can save on a monthly basis, your investment time horizon, and the return you can expect on your money.

Create multiple income streams

Struggling to save? Have you ever thought about creating extra income streams to help you build your wealth faster? They say the average millionaire has seven different income streams, so it’s probably a wise idea to consider ways in which you could turbo-charge your income.

These days, it’s easier than ever to bring in extra cash. For example, if you enjoy writing, you could pick up some freelance writing work though a freelancer site. Interested in a niche hobby? How about starting a blog and making money through ad revenue? If you have spare capital, you could lend it to small businesses through a peer-to-peer lending platform. The options are endless. Some extra income could definitely speed up your journey to millionaire status. 

Invest in high-growth assets

Lastly, it’s absolutely paramount that you get your hard-earned capital working for you. I can’t stress this enough. 

Unless you’re earning a footballer’s salary, it’s highly unlikely you’ll hit millionaire status by parking your savings in a high street bank account. Do you know how long it would take for £10,000 to grow to a million, while earning 1% in a high street bank account? Approximately 463 years.

This is where the stock market can help you. Analysts at Hargreaves Lansdown recently determined that £10,000 invested in the FTSE 100 index in 1987, with all dividends reinvested, would have grown to £106,000 after 30 years. That’s an annualised return of around 8.5% per year, a decent return. However, according to my calculations, had just £50 per week been added to the portfolio, it would have grown to over a million after just 40 years.

The lessons here? Seek out high-growth investments, invest regularly and be patient. Don’t jump in and out of the market, because the chances are you’ll get the timing wrong and lose out, like so many novice investors do. Instead, invest for the long term, reinvest your dividends, and allow the amazing power of compounding to do the hard work for you.

So what are you waiting for? Why not get started on your millionaire plan today?

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

£10k in savings? Here’s how an investor could use that to target £420 of passive income a month

Harvey Jones shows how it’s possible to build a high and rising passive income from a portfolio of FTSE 100…

Read more »

Midnight is celebrated along the River Thames in London with a spectacular and colourful firework display.
Investing Articles

Investing £5k in each of these 3 FTSE stocks in January 2023 would have created a £55k ISA!

Our writer highlights a trio of UK shares that have absolutely rocketed recently, boosting any ISA that held them along…

Read more »

Smiling family of four enjoying breakfast at sunrise while camping
Investing Articles

£20,000 in savings? Here’s how it could pave the way to a £50,000 second income

Our writer shows how it is perfectly possible to build a very attractive second income investing regularly in the stock…

Read more »

Senior Couple Walking With Pet Bulldog In Countryside
Investing Articles

3 ways an investor could target a near-£24k passive income from scratch

Looking for ways to build wealth for retirement from zero? Here are some tools investors can use to target a…

Read more »

Middle-aged black male working at home desk
Investing Articles

How much would a SIPP investor need to invest to earn a £1,000 monthly passive income?

With regular investment, UK investors have a great chance to build a large passive income with a Self-Invested Personal Pension…

Read more »

Investing Articles

£9k of savings? Here’s how an investor could aim to turn it into a second income of £560 a month

Christopher Ruane digs into the theory and numbers of how an investor could target a chunky monthly second income of…

Read more »

Young woman working at modern office. Technical price graph and indicator, red and green candlestick chart and stock trading computer screen background.
Investing Articles

A top S&P 500 value share to consider as markets sell off!

Worried about the outlook for S&P 500 shares in the New Year? Buying value stocks like this tech giant is…

Read more »

Investing Articles

£20k of savings? Here’s how an investor could target £980 of passive income each month

With a £20k pot to deploy, our writer outlines how a long-term investor could target almost £1k a month in…

Read more »