This bar chart shows that waiting a few years to start saving can significantly decrease the amount of money you’ll have when you’re ready to retire. The tallest blue bar shows that you could have a portfolio valued at $990,000 by age 65 if you started investing $550 per month with a 7% annual return at age 30. The next-tallest blue bar shows that the same portfolio with the same monthly investment amount and annual rate of return would be valued at $670,000 by age 65 if you started investing at age 35. The next-tallest blue bar shows that the same portfolio with the same monthly investment amount and annual rate of return would be valued at $445,000 by age 65 if you started investing at age 40. The last and smallest blue bar shows that the same portfolio with the same monthly investment amount and annual rate of return would be valued at $285,000 by age 65 if you started investing at age 45. This example doesn’t include taxes, fees and commissions, which would reduce the return. Figures are rounded to the nearest $5,000. Example is for illustration purposes only and does not reflect the performance of any specific investment.