I have been saving and investing for sixty-two years, there was never a year or month I didn’t save, albeit quite modestly – even pocket change.
In the beginning that investing was payroll deduction savings bonds, a few years later I added modest amounts for an employee stock purchase plan, I dabbled in penny stocks – and lost – and invested in mutual funds in and out of a 401k plan.
Over those years all earnings were reinvested.
I haven’t made any new investments in over fifteen years.
I have a respectable net worth and investments create a meaningful annual income – even savings bonds which I am forced to redeem at thirty years maturity.
The point is that virtually anyone at any income level can do the same and the rewards will be commensurate with saving levels.
Even saving $5.00 per week for as long as I did will get you $172,515.22 (at only 6%)
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
I ran a quick hypothetical at the calculator site and wound up with 201,457. That was using 300 per year deposited at beginning of the period, starting with 300 and using 6%. Period of 62 years.
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Looking at a CPI calculator backwards, you would be talking 16,566 on 172000 value. A nice sum but not a life changer.
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how far can a dog run into the woods??? well, half way and then he begins running out!
so, James have you factored in that brother Quinn in his example of $5.00 a week means 744 months so let’s say 2,976 weeks–the 1st $5.00 has been working for the entire time while the last contribution has been working for just 7 days–
when folks dollar-cost average they sometimes think their entire contribution was made at one time–not so as we know.
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Al, I knew the money was building over time but I didn’t want to get carried away with the calculations so I took the easy way out. I also needed to throw in a bit about taxes but that’s another calculation, so I said what the heck, it’s close enough for government work.
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actually ran a hypothetical using 63-years ending 12/31/2023 at $25.00 monthly as that was as low as they go–$1,500,000 would be ending value at close to 11% annualized
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