Alex vs Jordan

Alex invests $200/month from age 25 to 35, then stops. Total invested: $24,000. Jordan invests $200/month from age 35 all the way to 65. Total invested: $72,000. At 8% returns, Alex still ends up with more money at 65. The early start wins, even with far less money in.

Alex put in one-third the money but ends up with over $100,000 more than Jordan. Those extra 10 years of compounding did more than Jordan's additional $48,000 in contributions. Time in the market beats money in the market.