Although recent experience has been discouraging, compounding investment returns over many years yields truly amazing numbers. Consider how money grows in an IRA for a young person who leaves the money alone until retirement.
The maximum contribution to an IRA is $5,000 a year for someone under age 50 (the money must come from earned income although parents can replace the contribution). Take a 20-year-old who earned and saved enough to put $5,000 in an IRA. Let's invest that money in a broad index that gets 10 percent returns, the average of stocks over the last century. After 50 years, the account would be worth $587,000 (this doesn't factor in inflation).
If he waits ten years, until age 30, the total at retirement would be less than half, $226,000. At 40, it would be $87,000; at 50, $34,000 and at 60, the total grows to $13,000.
These are average figures and the results could differ significantly. But this shows three things: how long you invest - whether for yourself, your children or grandchildren - is critical; the benefits of tax deferral make a huge difference; and achieving the broad stock market returns has been a great goal.