While it is almost universally agreed that Einstein did not in fact call compound interest the eighth wonder of the world, that does not detract from the criticality of the concept to successful investing. If Columbus had of placed one single dollar out at 6% interest compounded annually with instructions to pay the proceeds to you today, you would have over Ten Billion Dollars coming to you. Social security is squarely based on what has been called the eighth wonder of the world—compound interest. Quote investigator also found some earlier quotes claiming that compound interest is the “greatest invention”, but none of them involve Einstein in any way until well after his death. Over the years, I’ve read Einstein quoted as saying that ‘compound interest was one of man’s greatest inventions’, or other variations on this theme. In Tony Robbins recent tome (600 pages to write what would fit in a short magazine article) he offered this Einstein line.
There is no question that Einstein enjoyed the personal freedom to succeed in the United States afforded by the country’s capitalist underpinnings. There’s often a trend to follow the herd — to buy stocks when it seems like everyone is buying and to sell stocks when it seems like everyone else is selling. Being a non-conformist, investing against the grain, can help investors buy low and sell high. He didn’t like the militaristic nature of his schools, where pupils were not encouraged to ask questions, and learning was affected through rote memorization.
Share with the world
He tips UK equity income funds such as the quality of receivables refers to BlackRock UK Income and Invesco-Perpetual Income and Newton Global Higher Income, an international fund. There is another advantage to investing in companies with a strong dividend policy, Mr Reeve says. In 1916 a character in an advertisement in a California newspaper called “compound interest” the “greatest invention the world has ever produced”. When company profits are growing, they raise their dividends to reward investors. Some companies strive to do this year after year because they see it as a mark of a well-run enterprise.
- And from a consumer perspective, we have to resist the temptation to consider salespeople authority figures or experts.
- Also, a quotation from a famous person is often considered more interesting and entertaining.
- When company profits are growing, they raise their dividends to reward investors.
- Fans of gurus will continue to stand up for their heroes despite displays of lack of character and lack of sense.
- He famously called compound interest “the most powerful force in the universe” and he certainly had a point.
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I early inquired the rate of interest on invested money, and worried my child’s brain into an understanding of the virtues and excellencies of that remarkable invention of man, compound interest. In conclusion, this article presents a snapshot of current research. The label “eight wonder” was applied to compound interest in an advertisement for a bank in 1925. No attribution was provided, and anonymous advertising copy writers have applied the “eight wonder” label to a wide variety of objects and ideas for more than two hundred years. QI has found no substantive evidence that Albert Einstein, Baron Rothschild, or John D. Rockefeller employed the saying.
However, 1916 is not necessarily the origin of this hyperbolic statement, and future researchers may locate earlier citations. QI was unable to find any support for the attachment to Einstein, and QI believes that it is very unlikely that Einstein made this remark. One question I was asked at practically every stop was, “What’s the greatest invention of all time? ” I finally worked up an acceptable answer to this one, one I hoped would preserve my goal of presenting positive, optimistic views of science. But it is not particularly easy for one to climb up out of the working class—especially if he is handicapped by the possession of ideals and illusions. I lived on a ranch in California, and I was hard put to find the ladder whereby to climb.
What Albert Einstein knew about investing
Despite his world travels and, especially later in his life, his ability to command top salaries and fees, he maintained modest living environments. Authority figures, like professors who lecture without open discussion and politicians, don’t always deserve to be trusted. And from a consumer perspective, we have to resist the temptation to consider salespeople authority figures or experts.
Einstein and the magic of compounding
Say you invested £100 (Dh590.82) in the UK stock market way back in 1899. If you spent all your dividends, it would be worth £22,239 in today’s money, according to the long-term Barclays Equity Gilt study. But if you had reinvested them, it would be worth a massive £1.63 million. Dividends are particularly important in today’s turbulent economy when growth is much harder to come by, says Dan Dowding, the chief executive of IFAs Killik & Co in Dubai. “From day to day, investors focus mostly on share price movements. But dividends and, more importantly, dividend reinvestment, can have a much greater impact on your long-term returns.” You can cash in on the compounding effect of dividends by investing in mutual funds in the equity-income sector, Mr Harvey says.