What would you rather have: a penny or £1 million?

If you had to choose, would you prefer a million pounds or a penny that doubles in value every day for 30 days?

It's a no-brainer, right? Of course everyone would choose a million pounds!

Well, not so fast. Stop for one second and do the maths. The results might surprise you.

I have drawn up a table to help you choose:

Incredible, isn't it? That is compound interest for you. Little happens for three weeks, and then the pennies begin to grow rapidly. After one week, the total is...