Imagine you have a penny, and every day it doubles. Tomorrow you’ll have 2 cents, the next day 4 cents, and so on.
How much money will you have 10 days later?
Just over 5 bucks. Enough for your morning Starbucks.
Okay, so not thrilling yet, but how about after 15 days?
Almost $164. Not bad. Not retirement money, but not bad from having started with just a penny.
What about after 20 days?
$5,242. Now things are getting interesting.
So…what about after 30 days?
More on that in a minute.
There’s something I love about the little compound progression I just described.
It mirrors a lifetime of investing.
In the beginning, your growth is tiny. It almost feels like nothing’s happening. It often feels like while you’re doing your part – working and saving – the benefits are hard to see for all the effort you’ve made.
But here’s the kicker: that slow start is where the magic is quietly being built.
Because after day 20, the doubling starts to feel a little faster. The curve begins to incline. And by day 30 things explode!
In the world of investing, the same phenomenon applies: the first few years might not feel exciting. Maybe you increase your contributions. You stay consistent. You ride out turbulent markets, rather than changing your game every month.
Being “boring” with your investments becomes your secret weapon.
You understand this isn’t about fireworks. It’s about discipline.
What do you have after 30 days, having started with just a penny?
$5,368,709.00
Now THAT’s some retirement money!
Compounding is magical, but you won’t feel the magic at first.
It’s the steady financial accumulation while you focus on your patients, grow your practice, and live your life. It’s boring in the sense that you don’t have to trade like a day-trader, you don’t chase some new go-big-or-go-home private investment (at least not with your targeted retirement savings anyway). You don’t time the market.
You just build, and you hold.
Being “boring” with your investments becomes your secret weapon.
Embrace the slow-start. The uneventful and the boring.
Because that’s where the magic lives!
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