Your plan
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$
$
%
Time to target
14 years
Reach $3,000/month at this contribution + yield.
Principal at target$720,000
Total contributed$94,000
Total compounded gain$626,000
After-tax monthly$2,550
If you double contributions9 years
Portfolio growth curve
Year-by-year principal. Green line = your target portfolio (= target/yield).
How this works. Each year, your principal earns the chosen yield (compounded monthly for reinvestment mode). Monthly contributions are added at the start of each year. Tax is applied to yield, not principal. Target portfolio = target_monthly × 12 ÷ yield. Calculation stops at 50 years.
Realistic yield assumptions (2026)
| Asset class | Typical yield | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CD ladder | 4.0–5.0% | Locked-in. FDIC-insured. Inflation risk over long horizons. |
| Treasury bills | 3.5–4.5% | State-tax exempt. Lower headline yield than CDs but tax-equivalent often higher. |
| S&P 500 dividend ETF (VOO, SPY) | 1.5–2.0% | Low yield, high growth. Total return ~10%/yr long-run. |
| Dividend-focused ETF (SCHD) | 3.5–4.5% | Quality dividend growers. Total return ~10%/yr historically. |
| REITs (VNQ, O) | 4–9% | Income-heavy. Distributions taxed as ordinary income. |
| Rental real estate | 5–10% cash-on-cash | Active management. Depreciation tax shield is the hidden return. |
| Solana staking | 5–7% | Native protocol yield. Validator commissions vary 5–10%. |
| Ethereum staking | 3–5% | Lower than 2023 peak. Slashing risk on self-staking. |
Headline yields lie. A "10% APY" crypto product is usually counterparty risk in a trench coat. Treat anything above U.S. corporate bond rates (~6.5%) with serious skepticism unless you can articulate the underlying business model.