The power of starting early
The single biggest factor in how much your child will have at 18 isn't how much you contribute — it's how early you start.
Money invested when your child is a newborn has 18 years to grow. Money added when they're 10 only has 8. That difference is enormous, thanks to something called compounding — where your returns earn their own returns over time.
What does Seedling actually add up to?
Let's say you set Seedling to add $5 every time you make a qualifying purchase. If you shop at the grocery store twice a week and grab coffee twice a week, that's roughly 4 purchases — or $20 per week, $1,040 per year.
Here's what that looks like over time, assuming a 7% average annual return:
| Child's Age | Total Added | Account Value |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | $5,200 | ~$6,400 |
| 10 | $10,400 | ~$15,900 |
| 15 | $15,600 | ~$29,700 |
| 18 | $18,720 | ~$40,200 |
That's $40,000 from purchases you were already making.
What about the government's $1,000?
For children born between 2025 and 2028, the government adds $1,000 to start. That $1,000 alone — with no additional contributions — grows to about $3,400 over 18 years at 7% annual return.
Add Seedling on top of that? You're looking at over $43,000.
What if I increase the amount?
Small changes make a big difference over 18 years:
| Per purchase | Purchases/week | Annual total | At 18 (7% return) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2 | 4 | $416 | ~$16,200 |
| $5 | 4 | $1,040 | ~$40,500 |
| $5 | 7 | $1,820 | ~$70,900 |
| $10 | 4 | $2,080 | ~$81,000 |
The honest caveat
These numbers assume a 7% average annual return, which is roughly the historical average of the U.S. stock market after inflation. The stock market goes up and down. Some years are great, some aren't. Your child's account could be worth more or less than these estimates.
What we can say is this: investing consistently over 18 years has historically been one of the most reliable ways to build wealth — especially when you start early.
The bottom line
You don't need to contribute huge amounts. You just need to start. Seedling makes that as easy as buying groceries — because it literally happens when you buy groceries.