Prediction: This ETF Could Make You a Millionaire With Just $750 per Month

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • The Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF (VUG) has outperformed the market in most years since it began trading.

  • VUG has averaged around 11% annual returns since its January 2004 inception.

  • Much of VUG's performance depends on megacap tech stock performance.

  • 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF ›

Hitting the million-dollar mark has long been a sign of financial achievement, even though today's $1 million doesn't stretch as far as it did in the past.

Reaching the mark only by saving is a tough ask; it would take 25 years if you save $40,000 annually and 40 years if you save $25,000 annually. However, if you invest your money, you can reach the seven-figure mark with much less personal contribution.

Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »

Based on its historical performance, the Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF (NYSEMKT: VUG) could get you there with as little as $750 invested monthly. Let's take a look at how.

Someone sitting on a couch and looking at a smartphone.

Image source: Getty Images.

The math behind reaching $1 million

VUG has routinely outperformed the market, doing so in 13 of the past 20 years. Below are its average annual returns over different numbers of years:

3-Year Annual Average Returns 5-Year Annual Average Returns 10-Year Annual Average Returns Annual Average Returns Since Inception
25.1% 12.9% 17.3% 11.2%

Data source: YCharts. Inception date is Jan. 26, 2004.

For the sake of illustration, we'll assume VUG continues to average 11% annual returns long-term. With those returns, you could reach the million-dollar mark in 25 years by investing $750 monthly.

If you have more time on your side, you could hit the mark in 30 years by investing $425 monthly; if you can invest more money, you can hit the mark in 23 years by investing $1,000 monthly.

What makes VUG a good investment?

VUG focuses on large-cap growth stocks, which are companies expected to grow revenue and earnings faster than the overall market and most industry peers. It holds 147 stocks, 69.8% of which are tech stocks. The next two most represented sectors are consumer discretionary (13.7%) and industrials (7.3%).

Nine of VUG's top 10 holdings are large tech companies, so as they go, so does VUG. This has worked in VUG's favor amid the current AI boom, which has driven big-tech valuations to historic highs.

The concentration in these stocks can also cause VUG to underperform or pull back if they hit a slump (like during the 2022 bear market), but their long-term trajectory is as strong as you'll find on the market. Current AI hype aside, the companies leading the way for VUG control much of the digital infrastructure that we use and rely on daily.

Nothing is guaranteed in the stock market, but I expect VUG to keep producing returns strong enough to help a consistent investor reach the million-dollar threshold over time. The key is consistency and patience.

Should you buy stock in Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $395,625!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,397,147!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 951% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of September 23, 2026.

Stefon Walters has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD drifts toward $4.300 with bears gaining tractionGold (XAU/USD) retraces Tuesday’s gains on Wednesday and drifts lower, approaching the $4,300 area as the US Dollar Index (DXY) rallies further amid high US Treasury yields.
Author  FXStreet
10 hours ago
Gold (XAU/USD) retraces Tuesday’s gains on Wednesday and drifts lower, approaching the $4,300 area as the US Dollar Index (DXY) rallies further amid high US Treasury yields.
placeholder
Bitcoin Cash Surges 30% in Single Day as Catch-Up Rally Explodes, Far Outpacing BTCBitcoin Cash launches catch-up rally, surging 30% in a single day and approaching the $350 mark.On September 23, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) experienced a surge, soaring 30% intraday, far exceedin
Author  TradingKey
12 hours ago
Bitcoin Cash launches catch-up rally, surging 30% in a single day and approaching the $350 mark.On September 23, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) experienced a surge, soaring 30% intraday, far exceedin
placeholder
Memory chips surge, Nasdaq notches a second straight record close — why the Dow fell 185 points anywayMicron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
Author  Irene Q.
14 hours ago
Micron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
placeholder
October hike odds climb toward 60% as Goldman and BofA both flip — what Warsh's "dose of accommodation" really changedRate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
Author  Irene Q.
14 hours ago
Rate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
placeholder
US Special Envoy Witkoff says mediators completed round of US-Iran talksUnited States (US) Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the US held "lengthy" indirect talks with the Iranian delegation via mediators on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Author  FXStreet
19 hours ago
United States (US) Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the US held "lengthy" indirect talks with the Iranian delegation via mediators on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Reuters reported on Tuesday.
goTop
quote