The Rule of 72 (with calculator) (2024)

Have you always wanted to be able to do compound interest problems in your head?Perhaps not... but it's a very useful skill to have because it gives you a lightning fast benchmark to determine how good (or not so good) a potential investment is likely to be.

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.

Y = 72 / r and r = 72 / Y

where Y and r are the years and interest rate, respectively.

Compound Interest Curve

Suppose you invest $100 at a compound interest rate of 10%.The rule of 72 tells you that your money will double every seven years, approximately:

YearsBalance
Now$100
7$200(doubles every
14$400 seven years)
21$800

If you graph these points, you start to see the familiar compound interest curve:

The Rule of 72 (with calculator) (1)

Practice using the Rule of 72

It's good to practice with the rule of 72 to get an intuitive feeling for the way compound interest works.So...

Why Stop at a Double?

There's nothing sacred about doubling your money.You can also get a simple estimate for other growth factors, as this calculator shows:

Why Does the Rule of 72 Work?

If you want to know more, see this explanation of why the rule of 72 works.(Brace yourself, because it's slightly geeked out.)

The Rule of 72 (with calculator) (2024)

FAQs

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 Rule of 72 answer? ›

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.

How much time will it take to double my money calculator? ›

Rule of 72 Formula

You can calculate the number of years to double your investment at some known interest rate by solving for t: t = 72 ÷ R.

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

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.

What is the rule of 70 calculator? ›

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.

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

Why does Rule 72 work? ›

The value 72 is a convenient choice of numerator, since it has many small divisors: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 12. It provides a good approximation for annual compounding, and for compounding at typical rates (from 6% to 10%); the approximations are less accurate at higher interest rates.

What is the Rule of 72 used to calculate quizlet? ›

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.

What is the Rule of 72 useful in calculating quizlet? ›

dividing 72 by the interest rate will show you how long it will take your money to double.

Is the Rule of 72 accurate? ›

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 much will $50,000 amount to in 3 years? ›

Hence, the amount will be Rs. 62,964. How much will ₹50,000 amount in 3 years compounded yearly, if the rates for the successive years are 6%, 8% and 10% respectively?

Does it take 7 years to double your money? ›

1 At 10%, you could double your initial investment every seven years (72 divided by 10). In a less-risky investment such as bonds, which have averaged a return of about 5% to 6% over the same period, you could expect to double your money in about 12 years (72 divided by 6).

How much is $10000 for 5 years at 6 interest? ›

Summary: An investment of $10000 today invested at 6% for five years at simple interest will be $13,000.

How long will it take for you to get $100000.00 if you invest $5000.00 in an account giving you 9.7% interest compounded continuously? ›

t = ln(100,000/5,000)/0.097 ≈ 12.35 years Using the formula for continuous compounding interest, it will take approximately 12.35 years for a $5,000 investment to grow to $100,000 at an interest rate of 9.7% compounded continuously.

How long will it take you to double your money if you invest $1000 at 8% compounded annually? ›

For example, if an investment scheme promises an 8% annual compounded rate of return, it will take approximately nine years (72 / 8 = 9) to double the invested money.

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%.

What is the Rule of 72 and how is it used? ›

The rule of 72 is a simple formula that shows how quickly your money will double at a given return rate. It works by dividing 72 by your annual compound interest rate and seeing how many years it will take for your investment to double.

How many years would it take money to grow from $5000 to $10000 if it could earn 6% interest? ›

Final answer:

It would take approximately 11.90 years for the money to grow from $5,000 to $10,000 with a 6% interest rate.

What is the Rule of 72 and 69? ›

Rules of 72, 69.3, and 69

The Rule of 72 states that by dividing 72 by the annual interest rate, you can estimate the number of years required for an investment to double. The Rule of 69.3 is a more accurate formula for higher interest rates and is calculated by dividing 69.3 by the interest rate.

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