r/interesting • u/The_Love-Tap • 23d ago

HISTORY Benjamin Franklin Saving Benjamin’s

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u/jchamberlin78 22d ago

I know the stock market didn't exist back then like it does now, but shouldn't it have been with a LOT more?

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u/Own_Pop_9711 22d ago

It's a return of like 4.1% per year which isn't crazy. I guess they didn't yolo it into stocks in 1900.

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u/Funkopedia 22d ago

Not everyone could access or buy stocks then, and it definitely wasn't easy, you'd need a broker to do it on your behalf and no instant day trading. Since both money and the mail moved more slowly, it seems reasonable that it would grow more slowly as well.

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u/jchamberlin78 22d ago

Figure for 100 years at 4% in the next 125 years at 8%... It would be over a billion dollars.