How can I calculate "hypothetical growth of an index fund" like Vanguard does on their website? I want to set $3000 aside now so that in 20 years I can help contribute to a new family member's college. They have it setup on Vanguard to where you can view how $10,000 would hypothetically grow if reinvesting dividends and gains over 5 or 10 years and it shows a little graph. I really want to be able to change the numbers to something more realistic for me. What if I only have $3000 to invest and I wan't to see the hypothetical gain over 20 years? Or what if I want to see how $3000 changes over 30 years? (assuming all dividends and gains reinvested) I have searched for a calculator and couldn't find one but maybe I am being dense. If anyone will help me with an example - let's use the standard S&P 500 Index fund (VFIAX) with $3000 for 20 years.
