I have more then 60k in the account. Yes, results are atypical. I said that in the blog post. I also said assume 8% a year returns on average.
Edit: Btw, everything you said is true. And great advice for those trying to follow a similar path. I rarely even check my on my stocks, it's mostly set it and forget it. I simplified this for family members and friends who I think would benefit greatly from investing.
I think betterment is AWESOME, and well worth their nominal fee. As a matter of fact I am switching all of my non-tax advantaged investments over to them very soon.
Mr money mustache on betterment: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2014/11/04/why-i-put-my-last-...
Also, keep in mind that any investment you do it is WAY better to do it in tax advantaged accounts (401k, roth ira, ira, etc). Typical advice goes like this
Max out 401k up to company match
Max out roth ira (currently 5500 a year)
Max out 401k fully (up to 22,500 a year)
Invest in non tax advantaged accounts
When you contribute to 401k it lowers your taxable income, so if you make 80k, and contribute 20k to your 401k, you only pay taxes on 60k which can be great for tax savings.
They cost more. They charge .5 percent on assets vs betterment charging .15 if you have over 100k, and .35% if you dont.
They both do the same thing, tax loss harvesting and automatic rebalancing. That fee difference over 30 years assuming an investment of 20k per year and an 8% return could cost you like 400k - which is not chump change.
Edit: Btw, everything you said is true. And great advice for those trying to follow a similar path. I rarely even check my on my stocks, it's mostly set it and forget it. I simplified this for family members and friends who I think would benefit greatly from investing.