Road to $1 Million · Step One

THE FIRST $100K CALCULATOR

How long until you hit six figures? Enter your numbers and get the date — then compare it with how I did it.

Your numbers

$
$
% pa
Long-run sharemarket average is roughly 7–10% before inflation. Not guaranteed.
$
It defaults to the famous one. Change it if you’re chasing a different number.
You hit $100K in
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The first $100K is the slowest — after that, compounding does more of the lifting every year. I documented every step of mine, from $5 of Starbucks stock to six figures, in THE FIRST $100K — the exact playbook.

The climb

Year-by-year detail

YearYou put in (total)Returns earned (total)Balance
The fine print, honestly. Returns are assumed steady — real markets lurch, dip and recover, so your actual path will be bumpier than this chart (mine was). The maths still holds over long periods, which is the whole point. Contributions are assumed monthly and the return compounds monthly. Inflation isn’t modelled: $100K in ten years buys less than $100K today, so if anything, start bigger and start sooner.

How to use this calculator

Enter what you have, what you can add monthly, and a return assumption. The calculator shows the date you hit your target, how much of it you contributed versus earned, and stars each quarter-milestone along the way.

Play with the monthly amount — it dominates early. The return barely matters in year one; the savings rate is everything until compounding takes over.

This is a tool only, and none of the information it produces is financial advice. Its accuracy is not guaranteed. Always check your own figures and get advice from your own financial professionals before making decisions.

A worked example

Say you can put away $1,000 a month, and you earn 7% a year on it.

Punch that in and you’ll hit $100,000 in a bit over six years. Of that, around $79,000 is money you saved yourself. Only about $21,000 came from returns.

Notice something? Getting to your first $100K is almost all you. Compounding barely shows up. You’re carrying the weight.

That’s the whole point of this number, and it’s why the first $100K is the hardest hundred grand you’ll ever make.

Put your own savings figure in above and see how long your first $100K takes.

Why the first $100K is the hardest

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s business partner, put it bluntly: the first $100,000 is a grind, and you just have to get through it.

Here’s why. Early on, your pile is small, so the returns it throws off are small too. A 7% return on $5,000 is $350 a year – nice, but it’s not changing your life. Almost every dollar of progress has to come from your own savings. That’s slow, and it’s boring, and it’s exactly where most people quit.

But once you’re through it, the maths flips. At $100K, that same 7% is $7,000 a year working for you – getting close to what many people can save in a year, without lifting a finger. Push on to $200K, $500K, and the returns start doing more of the lifting than you do.

The first $100K is the brick foundation. It feels like forever because you’re laying every brick by hand. Get it built, and the rest of the empire goes up far faster.

This calculator and page are general information only and not financial advice. Everyone’s circumstances will vary – always do your own research and consult your own financial professionals before making decisions.