How Much Can You Earn With the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) If You Invest $100 per Month Starting Today? Here's What History Suggests.
Selena Maranjian, The Motley Fool
Mon, August 31, 2026 at 3:05 PM GMT+3 3 min read
If you're looking to invest $100 a month into a low-fee index fund, how much can you expect to earn? It's a good question. You'll see recommendations to invest in a low-fee S&P 500 index fund all over the place, but you won't often see any estimates of how much you might earn investing in it. So let's take a look.
A look at the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF's (NYSEMKT: VOO) past performance offers a clue:
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Source: Morningstar.com as of Aug. 27, 2026.
You might thus expect around a 15% annual return on average from this exchange-traded fund (ETF). But don't think that -- because for one thing, past performance is no guarantee of future returns. And the past 10-plus years have featured above-average gains from the stock market. It's important to understand that the S&P 500 has averaged annual returns close to 10% (ignoring inflation) over many decades.
Here, though, are some examples of how $100 per month might grow in this ETF:
Source: Calculations via Investor.gov.
The truth is that no one can know how much you'll earn over time in the S&P 500 -- though we do know that you'll participate in the growth of the U.S. economy and your gains will roughly track those of the overall stock market. (The S&P 500 accounts for about 80% of the U.S. stock market's value.)
So do consider parking some of your long-term dollars in the S&P 500 via a solid index fund.
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Selena Maranjian has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
How Much Can You Earn With the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) If You Invest $100 per Month Starting Today? Here's What History Suggests. was originally published by The Motley Fool
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