The Million-Dollar Decade

A 25-year-old who invests $500/month until 65 at a 10% average return ends up with roughly $3.2 million. A 35-year-old doing the exact same thing? About $1.1 million.

That 10-year head start is worth about $2 million — and the early starter only contributed $60,000 more.

This is compound interest doing what it does best: turning time into money. Every year you delay costs more than the last. The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is right now. Even $200/month starting at 25 grows to about $1.3 million by 65 — more than double what $500/month reaches if you wait until 40.