MAYA’S STORY / 2007–2024
A plan with room for real life.
A household balancing investing with childcare, a caregiving break, and changing priorities.
THE LONG VIEW
Dollars at each point in time, without adjusting for inflation.
Monthly savings are modeled as one deposit at each year’s end. Lines connect annual observations; they do not show the path within a year.
LIFE HAPPENS. THE PLAN EVOLVES.
The choices along the way.
Build a routine
The household starts with $10,000 invested and an $800 monthly savings habit.
Make space for childcare
Contributions fall to $300 a month. Existing investments remain in place.
Pause for caregiving
No new contributions for one full year; no withdrawals are modeled.
Find a new rhythm
The household resumes contributions at $1,000 a month.
THE HARD PART BELONGS IN THE STORY
It wasn’t a straight line.
The pause assumes living costs could be covered without selling investments. A household needing withdrawals would have a different result.
A SMALL WHAT-IF
What if contributions hadn’t paused?
Continue the last pre-pause contribution during the 2017 pause. All other assumptions stay the same.
BRING IT BACK TO YOUR LIFE
A familiar story. Your own numbers.
An interrupted contribution schedule is still a plan worth understanding. The comparison separates the missed deposits from the growth they would have earned.
Opens an editable planning template with zero starting savings, an example spending budget, and this story’s final monthly contribution. Historical balances and returns are not carried into your plan.
A related field note: The two-sided power of enough.
Explore the annual numbers
Nominal dollars. Contributions include the initial investment. Return percentages are nominal, before deposits.
| Year | Portfolio return | Total contributed | Balance | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 6.90% | $19,600 | $20,290 | $690 |
| 2008 | -19.55% | $29,200 | $25,922 | -$3,278 |
| 2009 | 14.82% | $38,800 | $39,364 | $564 |
| 2010 | 12.91% | $48,400 | $54,047 | $5,647 |
| 2011 | 6.28% | $58,000 | $67,042 | $9,042 |
| 2012 | 12.01% | $61,600 | $78,697 | $17,097 |
| 2013 | 19.77% | $65,200 | $97,859 | $32,659 |
| 2014 | 12.69% | $68,800 | $113,876 | $45,076 |
| 2015 | 1.35% | $72,400 | $119,014 | $46,614 |
| 2016 | 8.45% | $76,000 | $132,666 | $56,666 |
| 2017 | 15.97% | $76,000 | $153,848 | $77,848 |
| 2018 | -2.97% | $88,000 | $161,284 | $73,284 |
| 2019 | 24.74% | $100,000 | $213,184 | $113,184 |
| 2020 | 16.01% | $112,000 | $259,321 | $147,321 |
| 2021 | 18.60% | $124,000 | $319,562 | $195,562 |
| 2022 | -17.98% | $136,000 | $274,115 | $138,115 |
| 2023 | 19.41% | $148,000 | $339,309 | $191,309 |
| 2024 | 16.92% | $160,000 | $408,734 | $248,734 |