Grinding Out Profits: The Power of 3%

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Previously posted in a TSP Live alert…

📊 Small Gains, Big Impact

Everyone loves the big months where we rake in +10%, +15%, even +25% or more, but the truth is—most months are a grind.

Let’s do some quick math:
📌 If you averaged just +3% per month, you’d see a +36% bankroll return per year.
To put that in perspective, that kind of ROI would make your retirement account blush.

So I asked ChatGPT:

“What percentage of mutual funds earn 36% annually?”
ChatGPT replied:
“Virtually 0%. Sustaining 36% annually over multiple years is nearly unheard of due to market volatility and reversion to the mean.”

That’s right—almost no mutual fund hits those kinds of returns consistently. Yet sports betting done right can achieve this and more.

💾 Compounding Is the Secret Weapon

Using the classic Rule of 72, a 36% return means you’d double your bankroll in just over 2 years. And in 6 years, you’d 8x it. That’s the kind of exponential growth normally reserved for venture capital or high-risk stock plays.

And yet, with TSP content, this isn’t a fantasy.
📌 We’ve never had a year with less than a 60-unit gain—equivalent to a 60% bankroll return.

💭 The False Dream vs. The Real Path

Too many new bettors start with a $1,000 or $10,000 bankroll, expecting to quit their jobs and turn it into $200,000 in 12 months. Is it possible? Technically, yes… but you’d need lottery-level luck.

đŸŽČ Parlays and high-risk plays might make it happen, but the real path to financial freedom through betting is consistent, compounding profit.

Let’s say you average just +3 units per month. Over time, that grows your bankroll. Once you reach $200K, now 3% a month = $6,000/month = $72,000/year — there’s your goal…for now…until you up that to the next stage.

The key? Patience.

đŸ€™ My Journey: From $5 Bets to $80,000 Plays

I say this often because it matters. I started betting in high school in the mid-90s. My average bet? $5. A $50 wager was massive.

Over time, I grew. Slowly. I remember literally praying each week at church to gain the skill to make $50,000 a year betting. I promised God that if He could help me get over the hump, I would put in the work. I did my best to hold up my end of the bargain—and if my life is any indication, God certainly kept His.

đŸ’„ In 2006, after 13 years of grinding, failures, resets, resilience, I made my biggest single wager:
$80,000 on the Buffalo Bills +12 vs. Colts (11/12/2006)
Final: Colts 17 – Bills 16.
The Bills covered wire-to-wire. It was a turning point—and the result of years of patience, discipline, and resilience. I sat back that night and thought back to those early days of $5 bets…and couldn’t help but get a little emotional over what I achieved. Then I enjoyed a nice vacation!

🚀 You Can Do This Too

I’m nobody special. I just did the work.

✅ I studied.
✅ I failed—many times.
✅ I stayed patient.
✅ I played the long game.

That’s how you turn sports betting into a profession and a compounding asset.
Even +3% monthly is a monster return—and if you can do better, you’re printing money.

🔁 Final Word: Keep Grinding

Every day you stay disciplined, you’re getting closer to your goals. Whether you’re up +3% or +30%, remember: slow growth is still growth.

Stick to the grind. Respect the numbers.
And let’s keep building, one unit at a time. đŸ’Ș📈