Why Is It Important To Start A Retirement Plan As Soon As Possible? 
A columnist for Fool.com , Morgan Housel , just wrote a terrific article on this topic titled , An Open Letter to Everyone Under Age 30 . He describes why the best estimate for what stocks will return over many decades is 6.6 % per year , and then goes on to put some real numbers to what 6.6 % growth means : Every dollar saved by a 20 year old for the 45 years until retirement will grow to be worth $ 18.50 . Since a 30 year old only has 35 years until retirement , each dollar saved will only be worth about $ 9.60 . As Housel says , `` Saving a little bit of money when you are young can be a more efficient way to build wealth than saving a lot when you 're older . '' 