See why starting earlier with less beats starting later with more
Read: The Math Behind Starting Early →Starting to invest earlier almost always wins. Saving $200 per month from age 25 to 35 then stopping completely typically outperforms saving $500 per month from age 35 to 65. The early saver contributes $24,000 total. The late saver contributes $180,000 total. Time in the market outperforms amount invested.
Compound interest grows exponentially over time — not linearly. Money invested at 25 has 40 years to compound versus money invested at 35 which only has 30 years. That 10-year head start creates a gap that often cannot be overcome by investing larger amounts later. This calculator shows the exact comparison for any input values.