How Can I 2x My Money In The Stock Market?

Doubling your money might seem like a far-off goal but it’s not as out-of-reach as you might think. Even if you simply follow Warren Buffett’s advice to his heirs to simply invest in the S&P 500 regularly you could double your money over time thanks to the rising tide of inflation. 

But to really get a grip on how to double your money, you need to get comfortable with a few concepts, like the Rules of 72 and 40, which we explain below.

The Rule of 72: A Quick Formula for Wealth?

The Rule of 72 is a formula used to estimate the number of years required to double the value of an investment at a fixed annual rate of return.

The rule states that if you divide 72 by the annual rate of return, you get an approximate estimate of the number of years it will take for your investment to double.

Mathematically, it’s as simple as:
Years to Double = 72 / Annual Rate of Return

For example, if you have an investment that yields a 4% annual return, dividing 72 by 4 gives you 18 years, meaning that it will take roughly 18 years for your money to double.

The Rule of 72 relies on the principle of compound interest. While simple interest only builds upon the principal amount, compound interest builds on both the principal and the interest that has already accrued.

This rule tends to be more accurate with returns that are in the range of 6% to 10%. For very high or very low returns, the estimation may not be as reliable because it assumes a fixed rate of return, something not generally seen in the stock market.

Applying the Rule of 72 to Stocks & Bonds 

The Rule of 72 can be applied broadly to different asset classes, including:

1. Stocks: Historically, the stock market has returned around 10% per annum. Using the Rule of 72, it would take approximately 7.2 years for your money to double investing in a broad stock market index.
2. Bonds: Depending on the type, bonds can yield between 2% to 5.5%. So, it could take anywhere from 14 to 36 years for a bond investment to double.
3. Real Estate: Though real estate can vary greatly, a good average return is around 6%, meaning it would take 12 years for a property investment to double.

Last but not least, the Rule of 72 isn’t just for estimating investment growth. It can also be flipped to give you a sense of how quickly the buying power of your money could be halved due to inflation. If the annual inflation rate is 3%, your buying power would be halved in roughly 24 years (72/3).

The Power of Compounding

Investing in the stock market is akin to planting a seed. You water it and watch as it transforms into a full-grown tree bearing fruit.

To take a real world example, consider that you invest $1,000 in a mutual fund that provides an annual return of 10%. After the first year, your investment will grow to $1,100.

The effects of compounding begin in the second year when your return isn’t calculated on your initial $1,000, but on the new total of $1,100. 

In the stock market, compounding occurs when you reinvest your dividends into additional shares. Over time, you will not only receive dividends from your original investment but also from the shares you acquired through reinvestment.

That the same principle is Berkshire Hathaway’s dividend yield on its Coca Cola share ownership isn’t 3% as a new investor would earn today but 57% of its originally invested principal.

The essence of compounding is both straightforward and powerful. It’s the multiplier effect on your initial investment, a catalyst that transforms modest sums into a considerable fortune over time. 

How High-Growth Stocks Can Build Wealth

Growth stocks are shares in companies expected to grow at an above-average rate. But not all growth is created equal.

Companies that center their business model around innovation are more likely to sustain high levels of growth over the long term. Netflix and Amazon are perfect examples because they didn’t just expand; they redefined their respective industries.

By focusing on innovation-driven growth stocks, you’re more likely to bet on companies that have a durable competitive edge.

It’s also important not to get lured by the top-line revenue growth because the margins are crucial to building wealth.

A growth stock with expanding margins has a better shot at doubling your investment than one where margins are thinning. 

Growth Stocks Can Be Defensive

Contrary to the risky image often associated with growth stocks, some of them can actually act as defensive plays in your portfolio.

Companies that have a unique product or service with high customer retention rates can weather economic downturns better than cyclical stocks.

Think about businesses like Adobe or Microsoft, whose subscription models generate steady income streams.

In challenging economic conditions, these “defensive growth stocks” offer stability and growth potential.

Know The Rule of 40

The Rule of 40 states that a company’s growth rate plus its profit margin should exceed 40% for it to be considered a healthy growth stock.

Companies that consistently score above 40% are generally better bets for long-term growth and offer a more promising path to double your investment.

Salesforce and Adobe are good examples of companies that exceed this threshold.

Swing Trading In Times of Volatility

The most familiar form of swing trading involves buying a single stock in the anticipation that its price will go up. However, a more nuanced strategy is ‘Pairs Trading,’ a market-neutral approach that involves buying and shorting two closely related stocks.

The goal is to benefit from the relative change in price between the two. Even if the broader market takes a nosedive, this strategy can yield profits because you’re equally invested in both upward and downward movements.

In volatile markets, pairs trading can offer a cushion against large swings, helping you accumulate gains over time.

Pick The Right Indicators

It’s valuable to also consider advanced indicators like Ichimoku Cloud, Fibonacci retracements, and Bollinger Bands that can provide deeper insights into market trends.

These tools are particularly useful during volatile periods because they can help to identify when a trend is about to reverse or gain momentum. 

How to Swing Trade Volatility

Periods of high volatility are often followed by more of the same, while quiet times usually precede more tranquility.

This phenomenon is known as ‘Volatility Clustering,’ and understanding it can provide swing traders with unique opportunities.

During periods of high volatility, swing trading strategies that capitalize on large price swings can be particularly profitable but it requires skillful risk management to avoid the downside of this double-edged sword.

For example, many swing traders avoid holding stocks through earnings announcements due to the unpredictability and high risk. 

If things do go awry, don’t chase losses. It’s easy to get fearful or greedy but generally both can cloud your judgment.

How To Double Your Money with Dividends

Dividend investing is often seen as the tortoise in the financial race—slow, steady, and reliable, but what most investors don’t realize is that dividend investing, when executed with finesse, can not only provide steady income but also significantly grow your wealth over time.

How Dividend Reinvestment Plans Grow Wealth

Sure, receiving quarterly dividend checks feels rewarding, but what if you could convert these short-term gains into long-term wealth?

Enter Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs), which automatically reinvest the dividends to buy more shares of the stock, setting off a compounding effect that can dramatically accelerate your portfolio’s growth.

Many investors overlook this straightforward strategy, but its impact on long-term wealth generation can be colossal.

Target Dividend Growth, Not Just High Yield

Many dividend investors get seduced by stocks with high yields but a high yield today doesn’t guarantee strong returns tomorrow.

Companies with a consistent history of dividend growth are often better choices for long-term investment. These firms not only increase your income over time but also are typically more stable and financially healthy.

Companies with growing dividends often outperform their high-yield but stagnant counterparts, and can be instrumental in doubling your money over time.

Beware the Dividend Traps

An exceptionally high dividend yield can be a red flag that the company is in trouble because a stock price that has plummeted while maintaining the same dividend payout will show a high yield percentage, though the risk of a future dividend cut could be significant.

Falling for these dividend traps can undermine your strategy and result in capital losses. To avoid pitfalls, balance yield and risk, and use metrics like the payout ratio to assess a company’s ability to sustain its dividend.

The Power of Sector Diversification

While sectors like utilities and consumer staples are traditional favorites for dividend investors, don’t ignore growth sectors like technology or healthcare.

Some of these companies, though not high-yielders, offer growing dividends and strong capital appreciation potential.

Diversifying across various sectors can not only provide a safety net but also capture growth, helping you to reach the goal of doubling your money faster than a conservative approach would.

Tax Efficiency of Qualified Dividends

Many investors overlook the tax benefits associated with dividend investing. Qualified dividends, which meet certain IRS criteria, are taxed at a lower capital gains rate rather than the higher income tax rate.

By focusing your investments on stocks that pay qualified dividends, you get to keep a larger chunk of your gains, boosting the rate at which your investment grows.

Should You Follow Billionaire Bets & Big Money?

When billionaires or institutional investors make moves, it often creates headlines. However, these financial juggernauts don’t execute all their buy or sell orders at once. They stagger these trades over a period to avoid significantly impacting the stock price.

By the time the news hits mainstream media, the opportunity for maximum gains may have passed. But with the help of specialized tools that track these large trades in real-time, you can catch these opportunities earlier.

Not All Big Money is Smart Money

Just because a reputable institution has invested in a particular stock doesn’t make it an automatic win. These entities have their own investment objectives and risk tolerances that may not align with your own.

It’s crucial to conduct your own due diligence and assess whether the stock fits well within your overall investment strategy because blindly following big money can be a recipe for disaster if it leads to an unbalanced or overly risky portfolio.

Is Doubling Your Cash Short Selling Possible?

Short selling often gets a bad rap as a tactic only used by those who wish ill on a company. In reality, it serves as a vital tool for market efficiency, helping to correct overvalued stocks.

Plus, short selling can act as a hedge for your long positions. If you believe the tech sector is poised for a downturn but you still want to keep your long-term holdings; shorting technology stocks can help offset potential losses.

One of the most overlooked aspects of short selling is the need to borrow the shares you plan to sell. While your brokerage will often facilitate this, it’s essential to remember that these shares aren’t free to borrow and that interest rates on borrowed shares can fluctuate and eat into your profits or compound your losses. 

The World of Options

Many investors know about buying call options, betting the stock will go up, or buying put options, betting the stock will go down.

However, there are more advanced strategies like straddles, strangles, and iron condors that can help you make money regardless of market direction. These strategies can be particularly potent during periods of high volatility.

Options come with an expiration date, and as that date approaches, the value of the option can erode due to time decay, also known as “theta.”

Understanding theta can mean the difference between a profitable trade and a losing one. Time decay accelerates as the expiration date nears, which can be disastrous for long options but advantageous for those selling options.

Both short selling and options trading usually involve trading on margin, meaning you’re borrowing money to trade. While this can amplify your profits, it can also magnify your losses.

A string of bad trades can result in a margin call, forcing you to deposit more money into your account. It’s crucial to manage risks meticulously when engaging in these strategies.

The Bottom Line

Doubling your money in the stock market is no small feat, but neither is it unattainable. Whether it’s reinvesting dividends, shorting stocks that are plummeting, buying strangles prior to periods of volatility, doubling your money in the stock market can be achieved. The key is to never bet the farm on any single strategy or trade, but rather to take a longer term perspective with the view to protecting principal and growing profits in the long run.

---

The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Financhill has a disclosure policy. This post may contain affiliate links or links from our sponsors.