Investing $150 per Month in This S&P 500 ETF Could Grow Into $300,000 Over 30 Years. Here's the Math.

Key Points The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) has averaged nearly 13% annual returns since its September 2010 inception. VOO offers investors diversification, blue-chip exposure, and a low-cost way to invest in the S&P 500. Taking advantage of time and compound earnings is a great way for investors to build wealth. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard S&P 500 ETF › One thing that has stayed true with investing is that time is one of the greatest tools investors can use to their advantage. Strictly saving to hit the six-figure mark will take most people a long time, but with compound earnings, you can cut that time down immensely. Let's take the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) as an example. Investing $150 monthly in the exchange-traded fund could grow to $300,000 in 30 years -- and that's assuming it performs worse than its historical average. Let's take a look at the math. Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue » Image source: Getty Images. VOO's performance has been impressive over the years VOO began trading in September 2010, and since then, here are its average annual returns for different periods. 3-Year Average Annual Returns 5-Year Average Annual Returns 10-Year Average Annual Returns Average Annual Returns Since Inception 19.6% 11.4% 13.6% 12.8% Data source: YCharts. If we assume -- with the emphasis being on "assume," because we can't predict how stocks will perform -- that VOO will continue to reach any of these averages over 30 years, here's how much $150 monthly would grow to. Average Annual Returns Investment Total After 30 Years 19.6% $1.96 million 11.4% $386,800 13.6% $593,600 12.8% $507,500 Table by author. Investment values rounded down to the nearest hundred. Realistically, expecting VOO to continue those averages over 30 years is overly optimistic. However, even at a 10% average annual return, your investment would grow to over $296,000 (not accounting for VOO's 0.03% expense ratio). Why invest in VOO? VOO mirrors the S&P 500 , the stock market's most important index. It tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies on the market, giving investors exposure to some of the most influential and important companies in the U.S. economy. They don't move hand-in-hand, but they generally move in the same direction over time (up). VOO is a low-cost way to invest in the S&P 500, and it checks three key boxes: diversification, access to blue chip stocks , and proven results (though past results don't guarantee future performance). Because VOO is market-cap weighted, large companies make up a larger share of the ETF than smaller ones, making it more top-heavy than it has historically been. Still, it includes companies across all major U.S. sectors, providing investors with broad exposure and serving as a one-stop shop. One investment gives you a stake in 505 large-cap stocks that include plenty of blue chip stocks and industry leaders that you can count on to be resilient and continue to grow over time. If you're planning to hold an investment for the long haul (which you should be), those are the characteristics you want in an ETF. How much $150 per month ultimately returns over 30 years will depend on VOO's performance, but it's well-equipped to help build wealth over time. You can't go wrong investing in it. Should you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF right now? Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $387,158 !* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,365,749 !* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 932 % — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 211% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor , and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of September 21, 2026. Stefon Walters has positions in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) has averaged nearly 13% annual returns since its September 2010 inception.

VOO offers investors diversification, blue-chip exposure, and a low-cost way to invest in the S&P 500.

Taking advantage of time and compound earnings is a great way for investors to build wealth.

One thing that has stayed true with investing is that time is one of the greatest tools investors can use to their advantage. Strictly saving to hit the six-figure mark will take most people a long time, but with compound earnings, you can cut that time down immensely.

Let's take the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) as an example. Investing $150 monthly in the exchange-traded fund could grow to $300,000 in 30 years -- and that's assuming it performs worse than its historical average. Let's take a look at the math.

Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »

VOO began trading in September 2010, and since then, here are its average annual returns for different periods.