From what I've read, the cost of money was pretty steady at %5 during this time, so just saving 500 a year for 20 years in standard interest-bearing account would actually yield more like 17,200 pounds, and starting with 5,000 pounds would mean a balance of about 23,600 and an income of almost 1,200 a year. So if Mr Bennet weren't such a loser, his family would have nearly the same income AFTER his death as before, and his daughters would have 'eventual fortunes' of 4,700 pounds instead of 1,000. And as his brother-in-law was successful, he could likely have put a fraction of this money into the Gardiner enterprises and left his family better off.
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