Last week, it was announced that professor Muhammad Yunus will be awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. If you're a longtime Fool reader, Dr. Yunus might be familiar to you, as he started the Grameen Bank and is a microcredit pioneer. A few years back, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. (Read about Grameen in this article I wrote awhile back -- I suspect the story will knock your socks off.)
In a nutshell, Yunus discovered many years ago that poor people often just needed a little money loaned to them at a reasonable rate -- even just $100 or less was enough to enable them to lift themselves out of poverty. They'd borrow a little money, perhaps buy a goat or a sewing machine, and then launch a little business. Then they'd repay the money and later borrow and repay more, as their business and life expanded.
Today, microcredit organizations exist all over the globe, loaning money to the world's poorest people (most often women).
Small is big
It's amazing what $100 can do for you, too. For instance, you might buy several investing books, and suddenly become a much savvier and more successful investor. If you're looking for reading material, here are some suggestions:
- Fool co-founder Tom Gardner's recommendations
- What Every Shareholder Should Read
- The Best Books Investors Can Read
You could even invest that $100, and turn it into something much more valuable. Just see what you could've done with $100 20 years ago:
|
Company |
CAPS Star Rating (out of 5) |
20-Year Average Annual Return |
Would Turn $100 Into |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dell |
** |
30% |
$19,600 |
|
Best Buy |
** |
30% |
$17,500 |
|
EMC |
**** |
28% |
$15,300 |
|
Schwab |
**** |
23% |
$6,100 |
|
Oracle |
**** |
21% |
$5,200 |
|
Stryker |
***** |
19% |
$3,500 |
|
Family Dollar |
*** |
17% |
$2,800 |
Sources: Motley Fool CAPS, Yahoo! Finance.
Those may be extreme examples, but they reflect the terrific performances you might get from one or more of your investments. Even if your $100 grew at just 6% annually for 20 years, it would more than triple in value.
So don't take any of your $100 bills for granted. And if you're looking for some promising places to park them, let us introduce you to some compelling possibilities.
Learn more:
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