>>>I'm addicted to Nantucket Nectars, buying
>>them from BJs saves me
>>$50/month...if I invest it for
>>the next 30 years and
>>average a 12% return I
>>could have 200k (In today's
>>buying power) to throw around
>>during my retirement.

>by multiplying the 50 by 12,
>then adding 12% onto that?

No, because you have to factor in 30 years of compounded interested.

E.g. I earn 12% on the $500 I save on year, and then 12% on the $1012 I have at the end of the next year, etc.

I'm terrible at explaining math to people, so I found a web site that does it for me:

http://www.arachnoid.com/lutusp/finance_old.html

If you don't want to calculate it yourself, go to:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/calculat/mcfront.htm#savings

They have a diverse range of financial calculators that can figure it out for you.




Peace,




M2