SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/teen-compound-start-early
Saving $100 a year from age 14 at 5 percent grows to about how much by age 65?
About $23,000, thanks to compounding.
- About $5,100
- About $23,000 ✔
- About $10,000
Why: You would put in only $100 times about 51 years, or $5,100 of your own money. Compound interest earns interest on the interest, so time does most of the work.
Huh, didn't know that: Starting at age 35 instead gives about $7,000 at 65, under the same example.
What did one penny say to the other penny? Let's get together and make some cents.
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References
Answer: About $23,000. You would put in only $100 times about 51 years, or $5,100 of your own money. Compound interest earns interest on the interest, so time does most of the work.
- CFPB Money as You Grow: Teens and saving www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/money-as-you-grow/teen-young-adult/explore-saving
If they set aside $100 every year starting at age 14, they'd have about $23,000 at age 65.
Checked 2026-10-10.
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