Is It To Late For Me to Start Investing ??
Lately I’ve been having a lot of conversations with elderly millennials, 80’s babies you haven’t started investing yet. Is it too late ???
As I said in the previous episode, your boy is a financial nerd. I love talking about investing because it’s something that I believe is within your control.
I’m actually surprised how many people between the ages of 35-45, have yet to start investing or even take the time to understand it
I can significantly remember talking to an individual in their early 40’s about investing, and their immediate response was: “I was started earlier and It’s too late.”
I get similar responses from most elderly millennials and 80’s babies:
I feel like I missed my window
I should’ve started in my 20’s
Whats the point now ?
I believe that type of mindset is more dangerous then starting late. If you’re 45 today, you’re not investing for 5 years, you’re investing for 20–25 years.
The Real Fear
When people say “it’s too late,” what they really mean is: “I don’t have enough time to make mistakes.”
There’s retirement in the distance, there might be kids, a mortgage. Responsibilities.
Let’s say someone starts investing at 45 and invests $1,500 a month into something broad like the S&P 500. Historically, that’s averaged around 8–10% long-term.
Over 20 years? That can grow to roughly $800,000 to $1 million depending on returns.
Is that guaranteed? No. Is it possible? Absolutely.
That’s not “too late. That’s focused and intentional.
Advantage of Starting Later
People actually have the advantage starting investing later:
You likely earn more than you did in your 20s.
You’re less emotional.
You’re not chasing hype.
You understand consequences.
Someone in their 20s might be able to invest $300 a month.
Someone in their 40s?
They might be able to invest $1,500, $2,000 or even maybe more.
Redefining Financial Freedom
I believe that starting to invest later in life, there has to be a major mindset shift
I know it’s easy to look at the past and say damn, I wish I started earlier, but it is what it is. Nothing can be done about that and all we can do is look towards the future.
Maybe freedom at 65 doesn’t mean $5 million.
Maybe it means:
No debt
A paid-off home
$800k–$1M invested
Controlled expenses
Flexibility to work part-time or consult
It’s control. And if you have 20 years, you can absolutely build control.
Comparison
Doing nothing because you feel behind, that’s emotional thinking. The past is the past and there’s nothing you can really be done about it.
You are not competing with someone who started at 22.
You’re competing with who you were yesterday.
The commonly cited investment quote, often attributed to Warren Buffett, is: The best time to invest was yesterday, The second best time is today
Practical breakdown
Most investors can receive a 8-10% return investing in a total US stock market ETF.
The last episode, I broke down David Bach’s $10,000 saving breakdown. To save 10k a year, you only have to save $27.40. Let’s put those numbers into a interest rate calculator, over 20 years, and see what happens.
$572,749.99 is not bad at all !!!
$10,000 a year is $833 a month. Lets see what would happen if someone invested more aggressively at $1,500 a month.
As we can see, investing $1,500 a month for 20 years, will get you to the million dollar mark in investments.
If you’re in your 40s reading this, I don’t believe you are not late.
You are experienced.
And experience is an advantage if you use it.
Yes — starting at 25 would’ve been ideal, but regret doesn’t compound, action does.
The real question isn’t: “Is it too late? The real question is: “Am I willing to be serious now?”
Because 20 years from now, you’re going to be 65 either way.
The only difference is whether you invested or not.
And that decision?That starts today.
