How does an average person who can only afford to invest approximately $30 a month earn a million dollars? The answer is simple: Reinvest all unearned income in a high-yield (20 percent) investment vehicle. Where is an average person going to find an investment vehicle that will yield 20 percent over the long-term? Yields of 20 percent and higher can be obtained in the stock markets (more about that later).

So how long will it take to make $1 million with a $30 monthly investment placed in a vehicle earning a 20 percent yield? Thirty-three years. That is amazing because over the 33-year period you invested $11,880. Is that legal? Is it real? Do not trust my estimates; do the math yourself. The lower the yield the longer it will take to generate a million dollars (refer to the graph below).

Obviously, you must start investing as soon as possible to benefit from the magic of compounding interest. 

I know what you are thinking: You can become a millionaire twice as fast if you invest $50 a month. I wish it were true. Doubling the investment at the 20 percent yield will reduce the time required to earn $1 million from 33 years to 30 years. What if you double the monthly investment to $100? If you increase the investment by a factor of four ($25 * 4 = $100), this will reduce the time to make a million from 33 to 26 years—a far cry from 8.25 years (33/4). However, if you contribute $100 per month, then after 33 years you'd have $4 million, rather than $1 million! 

Compound interest rewards long-term commitment. Jump on the compound train now and enjoy financial freedom in the not-too-distant future.

If you wait until you are almost retired, you will be dead before the real magic kicks in. As anyone of age can tell you, time will slip by in a blink of an eye. Take control of your financial destiny right now. Buy cash generators, such as stocks, on a monthly basis, reinvest the unearned income, and you will control your financial future. Combine delayed gratification and discipline to make your financial dreams become reality. 

Wealth building is a process that requires time—not a great deal of money.