what is left at the end

Starting at 25 instead of 35 changes what your children inherit more than any raise you will get.

Same salary, same savings rate, same retirement at 65. Ten more years of saving turns a $1.84M ending into $5.76M in the middle of history.

You asked for the link. The planner every chart came from is one tap away; the slides are below if you want them again.

Open the planner Type in one paycheck. About three minutes, in the browser.

Slide 1 of 6: Starting at 25 instead of 35 changes what your children inherit more than any raise you will get.

Slide 2 of 6: Saving from 25: $1.71M at 65 on a steady 5% real return.

Slide 3 of 6: Saving from 35: $946,000 at 65, everything else the same.

Slide 4 of 6: Ten years of saving, across all of history.

Slide 5 of 6: The first ten years are the cheap ones.

Slide 6 of 6: Save this for the twenty-five-year-old you know.

Where to go next

Retire Plan

Type in one paycheck and it runs your plan through every year of market history since 1871, with the taxes worked out. About three minutes, in the browser.

Open it

Sources: Expected path at 5% real return, 2026 dollars. Plan: $65,000 at 25, 12% plus a 4% match, $3,000 Roth, retiring at 65 on $55,000.; Same assumptions. Only the start age changed.; Engine output. Expected path for the age-65 figures; backtest across every start year since 1871 for the endings. 2026 dollars..

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