US market indices are shown in real time, except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. Your CNN account Log in to your CNN account CNN’s Kevin France contributed to this report. It’s more boring, it takes more time, it is more consistent - but it has more lasting results, says Flynn. You want to periodically add into that savings. Slowly edge up to $15 a day and think about where to park it. Here’s the more boring, and sustainable challenge. “How many people will get past the second week?” Flynn asks.

The envelope challenge videos have a get-rich-quick flair that is certainly viral and entertaining, but obviously the exception, not the rule. Save $5,000 a year starting at age 25 and, at average market rates, that grows to more than $1.1 million by age 65. Saving $13 a day equals $5,000 in a year, not including the interest. The more sustainable plan is to save $5,000 over the course of a year, consistently, and putting those funds in an investment account or bank or credit union. “Think about the functionality of the last five days - who’s actually going to be able to come up with $500 in the last week? Where is a GenZer going to go and find $98 today and $99 tomorrow?”Įven if you have some amazing side hustle or can sell Grandma’s jewelry, there are more viable ways to grow a legitimate nest egg. He notes the envelope idea is actually an old-school financial planning tool - one envelope for vacation savings, one for the car payment, one for dining out, etc.īut the envelopes today are more metaphorical in an era of instant account access and budgeting software.Īnd he questions the sustainability of the final week of the challenge. “It’s laudable to try to put some money away, but it doesn’t feel very goal oriented to me. “I’m all for whatever it takes to get people talking about saving money. But given how popular the envelope challenge has become, I decided to ask certified financial planner Doug Flynn of Flynn Zito Capital Management for his take.

There’s no question TikTok offers an abundance of questionable financial advice. It feels a bit like a fad diet or makeup trend that seems great when you scroll but hard to achieve on your own. Third, the idea of stashing five grand in a box under the bed just seems a little sketch. Savers need to put away almost $500 in the last week. When broken down by generation, GenZers and Millennials are more likely to be worried about covering basic expenses, let alone stashing some away. And, according to Bankrate, 57% of US adults can’t afford a $1,000 emergency expense. It’s buzzy, but is it realistic? Not really.įirst, where is the money coming from? Some people don’t even make $5,000 in 100 days. One woman claims to have done it three times and saved $15,000.

Cue the exuberant videos with piles of money. Continue this way until day 100, when your final savings deposit of $100 will bring you to a grand total of $5,050. Since this is social media, after all, said envelopes should look really cool for the videos. It works like this: Label 100 envelopes from one to 100. Billed by influencers as a fun, easy way to save money, it’s geared toward young investors facing higher rent and grocery bills, student loan debt, and a general feeling of never being able to make the money last the month. It’s called the “100 Envelope Challenge” on TikTok, and it promises to put more than $5,000 in your pocket in just 100 days. Good old-fashioned saving has gone viral.

100 envelope challenge box