Could Investing $10,000 in VONG Make You a Millionaire?

For most people, becoming a millionaire from a single $10,000 investment takes a long time and exceptionally strong returns. The average stock market return for the S&P 500 index has been about 10% per year for the past 50 years, and many individual stocks and stock ETFs do not outperform this broad market index for long.

But the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NASDAQ: VONG) might do the trick. If you invest $10,000 in this growth ETF and use a patient long-term approach, VONG might make you a millionaire.

Let's see how $10,000 invested in VONG could grow to make you a millionaire.

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VONG: 15 years of 16.5% average annual returns

The Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF invests in a portfolio of 390 U.S. large-cap growth stocks. Technology stocks make up 59.7% of the fund's holdings, and the top four largest holdings are all major tech names: Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon.

VONG was created in September 2010, and the past 15 years have been an era of skyrocketing growth for tech stocks. As a result, this tech-heavy ETF has delivered average annual returns of 16.5% since the fund's inception in September 2010, and 26% in the past three years. Those powerful growth rates are significantly better than the S&P 500 has delivered.

How $10,000 in VONG could grow to $1 million

If you invest $10,000 into the S&P 500 index, and the stock market delivers its usual long-term average growth rate of 10% per year, it will take 49 years for that $10,000 to grow to $1 million. Investing in faster-growing funds like VONG can speed up your time to millionaire status.

Let's say that VONG keeps delivering an average annual return of 16.5% far into the future. If you invest $10,000 into VONG today, after 15 years of 16.5% compounding annual growth, you'd have almost $99,000. After 25 years you'd have about $455,000. And after 31 years, your $10,000 VONG investment would reach over $1 million.

But there's a catch: No one knows if the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF will keep delivering such high returns. The past 15 years were excellent for U.S. tech investors, but past performance does not guarantee future results. VONG is down 7% year to date. This growth ETF might not beat the S&P 500 this year, next year, or ever again -- let alone deliver such steady double-digit growth for 31 years.

Instead of counting on a one-time investment to make you a millionaire, a better approach for most investors is to build a diversified portfolio of stocks and ETFs over the long run. Keep investing consistently out of every paycheck. VONG is an excellent Vanguard ETF, but investors shouldn't assume it will outperform the broader market forever.

Ben Gran has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia and is short shares of Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.