How many stories have we heard in 2021 of people who made millions overnight from highly risky investments like Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) and GameStop (NYSE: GME)? Bear in mind that these numbers don't factor in inflation, so you'd still need to gradually increase your monthly contribution to account for rising living costs. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors.