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Journey 31 · Adultingbeginningbuildingexpanding

Future You Is a Real Person

“Retirement is forty years away. Why would I think about it now?”

You become: Someone whose money is working while they sleep

Compounding is the one advantage that belongs entirely to the young and cannot be bought back later. Six actions to understand it and start with whatever you have.

8 actions3h 35m of work🌱 Beginning🔥 Building🚀 Expanding

Understand

What compounding does to time, and why early beats large.

Practice

Opening an account and setting a contribution.

Create

Money invested, automatically, every month.

Evidence

An account with a balance and a start date.

3/8actions open below — the rest unlock when the journey is yours.
01

See what time does

  1. Practice30m

    Run the two-investor comparison yourself

    Use a compound interest calculator. Investor A puts in $200/month from 22 to 32, then stops forever. Investor B starts at 32 and puts in $200/month until 65. Assume the same return. Compare the balances at 65.

    You’ll have:Both totals, written down.

  2. Understand15m

    Learn the rule of 72

    Divide 72 by an annual return to get the years for money to double. At 7%, about ten years. Do it for 3%, 7% and 10% so you can feel the difference between them.

    You’ll have:Doubling times at three rates.

  3. Understand20m

    Find out what inflation does to cash

    Look up long-run average inflation. Then work out what $10,000 under a mattress is worth in twenty years at that rate.

    You’ll have:The real value of cash after twenty years.

5 more actions · 2h 30m of work

The rest of this journey is one decision away.

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02

Start with what you have

  1. Practice25m

    Take the full employer match first

  2. Understand35m

    Learn what a Roth IRA is and why it suits you now

  3. Understand30m

    Understand index funds in one sitting

  4. Create45m

    Open the account and automate one contribution

  5. Evidence15m

    Write the start date down and then leave it alone

Tools this journey uses

Several actions above run straight through these. All free, no signup.