In 2000, Penny Bowers-Schebal was a 31-year-old "cash-strapped" single mother struggling to cover basic household bills. She wanted to "build financial security" beyond the 401(k) program at her employer, Progressive Insurance, she tells CNBC Make It. So, at the advice of Suze Orman, she started putting $25 per month into a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP). Ultimately, her Home Depot investment brought her an annual return of roughly 13%. "I'm not a big investor, and this was a life-changing investment for me," Bowers-Schebal, now 55, says.

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Persons: Penny Bowers, Schebal, Suze Orman, — Bowers, Bowers Organizations: Progressive Insurance, CNBC, Depot Locations: Geneva , Ohio, Erie , Pennsylvania