Future-Ready · Financial Literacy

How Money Grows: Banks & Interest

Saved money can GROW — banks pay interest, and compound interest earns interest on your interest, so it snowballs over time.
📊Simple vs. Compound: Watch It Pull Ahead
money saved → you started with $100 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 compound pulls ahead!
Simple interest — same small step each year
Compound interest — grows faster every year
Both start with the same $100. Simple interest adds the same amount each year, but compound interest gets a little bigger every year — so over time it leaves simple interest behind.
The Money Snowball: Compounding Over Time
$ Year 1 $ Year 5 $ Year 10 $ Year 20 the longer it rolls, the bigger it grows →
Each year your savings earns interest — then next year you earn interest on that interest too. Like a snowball rolling downhill, it picks up more and more, so starting early and leaving it alone matter most.
🔑Key Terms
🏦Bank A safe place to keep your money. The bank pays you interest for letting it hold your savings.
💰Interest Extra money the bank pays you for saving — a reward that makes your money grow.
🪙Principal The starting amount of money you put in the bank, before any interest is added.
Simple Interest Interest paid only on your original principal, so you earn the same amount each year.
📈Compound Interest Interest paid on your principal AND on interest already earned — so it grows faster over time.
%Interest Rate The percent the bank uses to figure your interest — a higher rate grows your money faster.
Remember: with compound interest your money earns money on its own money — so the earlier you start saving and the longer you leave it, the bigger your snowball grows!
✏️ Future-Ready Anchor Chart · How Money Grows: Banks & Interest
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