January 2nd, 2020… 9:30 a.m. Market opens. You’ve got $10,000 sitting safely in your bank account. The economy is booming, stocks are hitting all-time highs… and you make a “safe” choice: keep your money in cash. No stocks, no ETFs, just a high-yield savings account earning a measly 0.5% interest.
Fast forward to November 19th, 2025… and that “safe” decision just cost you $10,132. Yep, you read that right. Not lost, not risked, but cost you. Meanwhile, if you had invested that same $10,000 in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), your money would have grown to $21,927.
Let me break it down… and trust me, you’ll want to read till the end 👀.
Your Two Choices Back in 2020
Option A: Keep $10,000 in cash, high-yield savings account, earning 0.5%. Safe, no risk, no drama.
Option B: Invest $10,000 in VOO at $298.42 per share. You’d own 33.51 shares, getting exposure to the 500 largest U.S. companies. Risky? Yes. Volatile? Absolutely. But the potential upside? Massive.
On paper, Option A looks smarter, right? The market’s high, a recession could hit, crashes happen. Why risk it?
2020: The Pandemic Panic 💥
81 days later… everything collapsed. COVID-19 hits, economy shuts down, VOO crashes 26.92% in just 11 weeks.
Your $10,000 investment? Down to $7,347.
Cash savers? Safe, boring… still earning $50 in interest.
Here’s the magic: if you didn’t panic and sold, your portfolio eventually recovered. By December 31, 2020, your VOO investment was already worth $11,697 — while cash was just $10,050.
2021–2025: The Power of Staying Invested 🚀
-
2021: VOO jumps 27.02%, portfolio hits $15,043. Cash? $10,090.
-
2022: Inflation hits, VOO dips -19.52%, cash grows slightly to $10,294. But real purchasing power? You’re actually losing money with cash thanks to 6.5% inflation.
-
2023: VOO rebounds 24.32%, portfolio at $15,529.
-
2024: Another 23.35% return, portfolio at $19,394.
-
2025 YTD: +13.06%, portfolio now $21,927.
Cash savers? Still around $11,794.
The difference: $10,132 in opportunity cost. 💀
Why Cash Isn’t Really Safe
Here’s the kicker: for every $1 you earned in cash, VOO earned $6.64.
-
Cash: 17.95% total return over 5 years (2.16% annualized).
-
VOO: 119.27% total return over 5 years (14.29% annualized).
Even dividends make a huge difference. Reinvest them over 5 years and your 33.51 shares grow to 35.99 — 7.4% more shares for doing nothing extra. 💰
When Cash Makes Sense
Of course, cash has its place:
-
Emergency fund (3–6 months of expenses) ✅
-
Short-term goals under 3 years (house down payment, tuition) ✅
-
Low-risk tolerance, can’t stomach market swings ✅
Otherwise… excess cash is literally money left on the table.
Opportunity Cost in Real Numbers
-
$1,000 in cash → $1,179 in VOO → lost $1,013
-
$5,000 in cash → $5,897 in VOO → lost $5,066
-
$25,000 in cash → $29,487 in VOO → lost $25,331
-
$100,000 in cash → lost $111,325 in opportunity cost! 😱
That’s life-changing money slipping away just by being “safe.”
Action Plan for 2025
-
Assess your cash. Do you have 3–6 months emergency fund? Keep that in high-yield savings.
-
Beyond that, calculate your opportunity cost. How much could excess cash be losing you?
-
5+ year horizon and can tolerate volatility? Consider investing in VOO.
-
Reinvest dividends. Don’t panic during crashes. Set it and forget it.
The numbers don’t lie. The market doesn’t care about fear. Time in the market beats timing the market every single time.
💡 Your Move: How much money are you leaving on the table right now?
If you want to start investing in VOO and maximize your returns, check out Moomoo, the easy-to-use broker platform: 👉 Start investing in VOO now
📊 Key Takeaways
-
$10,000 in cash (2020–2025) → $11,794
-
$10,000 in VOO → $21,927
-
Difference: $10,132 in opportunity cost
-
Dividends reinvested = hidden wealth builder 💎
-
Cash is safe for emergencies, but excess cash is costing you serious money
💬 Drop a comment below: How much cash are you holding that could be invested? Let’s see who’s ready to grow their wealth!
#VOO #InvestSmart #StockMarketGains #MoomooInvest #FinancialFreedom #ETFInvesting #PassiveIncome #WealthBuilding #TrendingFinance #MoneyMoves
