top of page

What $1 a Day Taught Me About Wealth (That $1,000 Never Could)

  • Writer: Silivere Bakomeza
    Silivere Bakomeza
  • Jul 3
  • 4 min read

Let’s Kill the Biggest Lie in Personal Finance

“You need a lot of money to start investing.”

That lie keeps people broke. It delays their future. And worst of all, it makes them believe wealth is for “them,” not for “us.”

But here’s the truth I’ve lived:

You don’t need $1,000 to change your financial future.

You need $1.

And a system to repeat it every day.

Most people think the barrier is money. The real barrier is belief.


My $1 Story and Why It Was Everything

Before I ever put $50 a day into MicroStrategy

Before I committed to investing every weekday for 20 years

I started with $1.

One dollar.

It felt stupid. Insignificant. Almost laughable.

But that $1 flipped the switch. I didn’t feel like a dreamer anymore. I felt like a builder.

And that’s what most people miss:

It’s not the money that changes your life

It’s the moment you stop watching and start owning.


The $1 Wealth Flywheel

• Start with $1

• Automate it

• Build consistency

• Let time compound it

• Reinforce identity as an investor

This flywheel is what builds quiet, unshakable wealth over time. Not hype. Not luck. Not timing.


Why I Still Believe $1 a Day Is the Most Powerful Investment System for Beginners

Let’s get tactical.

Here’s what $1 a day really becomes when done consistently:

Daily Investment 10-Year Value 20-Year Value 30-Year Value

$1/day $5,700 $16,400 $36,600

$5/day $28,500 $82,000 $183,000

$10/day $57,000 $164,000 $366,000

$50/day (my plan) $285,000 $820,000 $1.8M+

That’s with 8 percent annual returns.

No hype. No magic. Just time and discipline.


The Real Lesson: It’s Not the Money, It’s the Mindset

Here’s what $1 a day taught me:

• I didn’t need to feel ready to get started

• I didn’t need to wait until I had more money

• I didn’t need to understand everything before I could begin

I just needed a repeatable system I could trust.

And from that $1 habit came:

• My first consistent investing streak

• My ability to hold through red markets

• My full public MSTR investing journey

It all started with the confidence that came from doing something, even if it was small.


How to Start Your $1 a Day Journey Right Now

You don’t need a course. You don’t need to be perfect.

You need three things.


1. A Platform That Supports Fractional Investing

These aren't promotion. These are the exact tools I used when I started investing with $1.

• ✅ Robinhood - beginner friendly and get a free stock

• ✅ Webull - better for charts and get up to 12 free stocks

• ✅ Acorns - automatic round-up investing

Hands placing a single coin into a glass jar symbolizing daily investing habit and long-term wealth building
This is where it begins. Not with a windfall. Not with luck. But with the moment you choose ownership over excuses.

You can start with $1. Literally. It’s all automated.


2. A Simple Long-Term Strategy

Skip the hype. Choose one of these:

• Index funds → VTI, QQQ, SPY

• Dividend stocks → SCHD, VYM, KO

• High conviction bets → I chose MSTR (here’s why I’m betting on one stock for 20 years)

Your path might be different. Pick one and commit.


3. An Automatic DCA Setup

Dollar Cost Averaging is the real MVP.

You buy daily. Weekly. Monthly. Whatever your rhythm is.

The market goes up, you buy.

The market dips, you buy more.

Over time, your average cost smooths out.

And most importantly, you stay in the game.


What to Expect Over Time

Here’s what people don’t tell you:

• Month 1: It feels slow

• Month 3: You see growth

• Month 6: You start teaching others

• Year 1: You feel 10x more in control

• Year 5+: You look back and realize $1 a day wasn’t small at all

That’s how wealth is built.

Quietly. Repeatedly. Relentlessly.


What I’d Do If I Were Starting Again Today

If I had to start again from scratch, this would be my six-step system:

1. Open a Robinhood or Webull account

2. Pick an ETF like QQQ or VTI

3. Set auto invests to $1 a day

4. Don’t check it daily

5. Learn quarterly

6. Raise the amount as income grows

Simple beats complex.

Consistency beats intensity.

Systems beat emotion.


Common Questions About $1 Investing

Can you really invest with just $1 a day?

Yes. Platforms like Robinhood, Webull, and Acorns all support fractional investing. It’s real ownership.


What should I invest in with $1?

Start with a diversified ETF like VTI, QQQ, or SPY. Or build conviction in a single long-term asset like MSTR or Bitcoin.


How long should I invest $1 a day?

As long as you want wealth to grow. Ten years of $1 a day is more powerful than most people realize.


Final Word: $1 a Day Will Teach You More Than $1,000 Ever Will

Why?

Because it builds your muscle

Because it rewires your identity

Because it turns you into an owner

And because one day, when your portfolio is in the six figures, you’ll remember where it all started:

A single dollar

On a day you stopped waiting

And started building

Related Posts


Start Your $1 Journey Now

Your first $1 is not about money. It’s about momentum.

• ✅ Robinhood - Start with $1 and get a free stock

• ✅ Webull - Get up to 12 free stocks

• ✅ Acorns - Invest spare change automatically



Comments


Drop questions & comments here!

Thanks for submitting!

© 2023 by Train of Thoughts. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page