I was doing some thinking and was curious what the results would be if you or I were to save $1,000 per month for the next 10, 20, 30 and 40 years at different interest rates ranging from 4 to 10 percent.

This simple savings calculator begins at year 0 and presumes you will be saving $1000 per month at 4 percent annual interest.  Here is a brief summary of the results. If you want a more in-depth look, you can go here.

• Year 0       $12,222.46
• Year 10     $165,471.45
• Year 20     $393,940.05
• Year 30     $734,548.51
• Year 39     $1,181,961.34

This simple savings calculator begins at year 0 and presumes you will be saving $1000 per month at 6 percent annual interest. Here is a brief summary of the results. If you want a more in-depth look, you can go here.

• Year 0       $12,335.36
• Year 10     $186,322.63
• Year 20     $502,874.13
• Year 30     $1,078,806.89
• Year 39     $1,991,490.73

This simple savings calculator begins at year 0 and presumes you will be saving $1000 per month at 8 percent annual interest. Here is a brief summary of the results. If you want a more in-depth look, you can go here.

• Year 0       $12,449.93
• Year 10     $210,580.39
• Year 20     $650,358.75
• Year 30     $1,626,508.47
• Year 39     $3,491,007.83

This simple savings calculator begins at year 0 and presumes you will be saving $1000 per month at 10 percent annual interest. Here is a brief summary of the results. If you want a more in-depth look, you can go here.

• Year 0       $12,565.57
• Year 10     $238,860.49
• Year 20     $851,450.24
• Year 30     $2,509,756.12
• Year 39     $6,324,079.58

There is a huge difference between 4 percent and 10 percent. There is also a huge difference between how long you invest the money for. In any case, I hope by keeping this simple, you can see how planning your investments can improve your golden years.

I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs when I came across Money Ning’s article, Now is a Great Time to Conduct Annual Financial Maintenance when I got to thinking about my retirement funds.

I have a premium Morningstar membership which I generally activate from December to March to read the latest Analyst Reports on how my current funds are performing by Morningstar’s standards. 

I also take the opportunity to research other funds to determine how my funds compares to similar funds.  If I find out my fund is not up to par, then I have to make a decision whether to continue investing in my current fund or move on.

My biggest question at this time of the year is

If I choose to reallocate my investments to ensure I am on track with my goals, when should I reallocate, in December or in January?

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.  If you would like to write a post about it on your website and feature it here, please let me know.  I will be very happy to link to your article here. 

It would make for a terrific discussion to share with my readers.