Not Starting Early Enough

Not starting early enough imposes a brutal math penalty: Investor A invests $500/month from age 25 to 35 (total $60,000) and ends with $602,070 at 7% returns, while Investor B starts at 35 and invests $500/month until 65 (total $180,000) but ends with only $566,764. Starting 10 years earlier makes a $15,306 difference despite investing one-third the capital. This compound interest effect is two times more impactful than #3’s emotional selling gap, as every year of delay costs more than any single bad investment. Einstein called it the eighth wonder of the world—the evidence is clear that time in the market, not timing, builds wealth.