Should you start investing now or wait until you can invest more? That is a very easy question to answer. Start investing now and then as you are able to invest more, do so. Starting early can mean a lot more money over time.

Time is money; it’s the simple truth. We spend our time working and are paid for it. It takes time for a writer to write a book that they eventually collect royalties on. A teenager spends a few hours of her time watching kids and is paid for it. You have to give up some time to make money.

Investments are the same way. You can’t buy a stock and expect it to go up 50% in the next 10 minutes. It takes time for the return to accumulate. While you don’t have to directly work hours and be paid, you do have to put some thought into investments and wait.

If you are young, such as in your 20s, you have a huge advantage. If you start investing, even putting the same amount aside overall, now and your friends start investing in their 40s, you’ll have a lot more money.

Let’s say you’re 23 years old and just started a good job. You want to retire at age 65 which is in 42 years/ If you invest $500 every year for 42 years with an average return of 9%, you’ll have invested about $26,000. Guess how much this $26,000 will be worth? You’ll have about $218,000.

If you started investing later in life, you would have quite a bit less, even if you invested more. Let’s say you invested $2,000 a year from 45 to 65, for a total of 20 years. You would have invested a total of $40,000. You would have about $110,000. That is much less. Would you rather retire comfortably or rush through your last working years trying to save enough?

When you combine time and compounding, you make a powerful combination. It’s incredible how much more money you can make when you start early. Compounding will earn you more money because the money you earn each year will continue to earn money. If you want to retire comfortably, or even early, you must harness the power of time and compounding.

Invest whatever amount you think will work with your budget. There is no rule as to how much you should invest except that it should be as much as you can. What you put away towards retirement should be top priority in your financial budget. Start investing a certain amount now and add to it every year. Soon you may even realize that you might be able to retire early!