Got $250 a Month? Here's How Much That Could Grow to Over the Next 10, 20, and 30 Years by Investing in This Top Vanguard ETF.

Key Points

• The Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF is a growth-focused fund that can help investors outperform the market.

• Regular, monthly investments of $250 into the fund could result in a portfolio that's worth more than $700,000 after a period of 30 years.

• 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Growth ETF ›

Investing periodically into the stock market is a good habit to create for a couple of reasons. First, it eliminates the temptation to try and time the market, which can be time-consuming and result in your missing out on gains along the way. Secondly, if it becomes part of your regular budgeting process to set aside a certain amount of money for investing, that can help ensure you are hitting your investing goals without having to worry about building up a big lump sum first.

A good amount to aim for may be $250 per month, which translates into $3,000 per year. That can be enough to generate some strong gains over the long haul. And if you can afford to invest more than that, that's even better -- your portfolio balance can get even bigger.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Below, however, I'll show you how a $250-per-month investment in a top exchange-traded fund (ETF) can grow over a period of 10, 20, and 30 years.

Image source: Getty Images.

A top Vanguard ETF that can be ideal for monthly investments

The Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF (NYSEMKT: VUG) is a great fund to invest in, as it gives you access to some of the best growth stocks in the world, and its fees are low, with an expense ratio of just 0.04%. This allows your portfolio to grow in value without worrying about fees taking a big chunk out of your returns.

Since the ETF invests in large growth stocks, you also don't have to worry about having exposure to risky investments. Through the fund, you'll have a position in some of the biggest stocks in the world, including Tesla, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia, which are among its largest holdings.

Putting money in the Vanguard Growth Index ETF each month can be a good option for investing over the long haul, given that growth stocks can amass significant gains. While they may sometimes experience significant declines in a bear market, there can be a big payoff from investing in these types of stocks for not just years but decades.

How monthly investments in the ETF could grow over decades

The challenge when forecasting what your portfolio may look like over a long time frame is that so much depends on the growth rate and how well the market will do in the future. It's not an easy thing to predict. But given that the long-run average of the market is around 10%, in the table below, I've factored in bearish, bullish, and average market conditions, where your investment grows between a rate of 9% and 11%.

Table and calculations by author.

As you can see from the table above, there can be a significant difference, in the neighborhood of a couple hundred thousand dollars, between averaging a 9% return over 30 years versus an 11% return. This is why it can be key to focus on growth stocks, which have a higher likelihood than, say, dividend stocks or more value-oriented investments, in outperforming the market. Investing in a fund such as VUG can increase the odds that your return is potentially better than the market average.

But regardless of what your actual portfolio ends up becoming, it's clear that investing regularly in the stock market can be a great move for the long term and lead to you being in a stronger financial position in the future.

Should you invest $1,000 in Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Growth ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard 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 Index Funds - Vanguard 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 $671,477!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,010,880!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025

Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms, Nvidia, Tesla, and Vanguard Index Funds-Vanguard Growth ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.