Research shows that 65 percent of women say they could find an extra $20 a week to save for retirement. That pocket change—it's less than $3 a day—works out to $1,040 a year. Let's say you managed that. You put the money away and you earned an 8 percent average annual return. If you retire at age 65, how much of a difference would it make in your life?
- If you start at 20, you'll have an extra $440,606
- If you start at 25, you'll have an extra $291,620
- If you start at 30, you'll have an extra $191,618
- If you start at 35, you'll have an extra $124,496
- If you start at 40, you'll have an extra $79,443
- If you start at 45, you'll have an extra $49,203
- If you start at 50, you'll have an extra $28,906
- If you start at 55, you'll have an extra $15,282
- If you start at 60, you'll have an extra $6,137
Map to a Million
What if you could find $10 a day to invest? That's $70 a week. It's the price of dinner for two in a moderate restaurant, the price of one pair of pants at Ann Taylor. In other words, it's very little. But when you put that money to work at 8 percent, when you shelter it in an account like an IRA or a 401(k) where you don't have to pay taxes until retirement, it can grow to be a bundle.
Invest $10 a Day = $304 a Month
In 10 years you'll have: $55,615
In 20 years you'll have: $179,062
In 30 years you'll have: $453,069
In 40 years you'll have: $1,061,266
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