You’re probably missing out on the easiest money of your life

Hey hey,

Let me tell you a quick story about a 22-year-old version of me (let’s call him “Dumb Tommy”).

Dumb Tommy had a job. He made decent money. He spent most of it on $14 cocktails and an overpriced apartment with exposed brick and zero insulation.

But what he didn’t have? A clue about compound interest.

If Dumb Tommy had just thrown $100 a month into a basic investment account back then, today he’d be sitting on a small pile of magic money. Instead, he waited. Which meant the compound interest train pulled out of the station without him—and it doesn’t stop often.

But here’s the twist…

Even if you're not 22 (or 32), you haven’t missed the train. The good news? Compound interest has a lot of departure times.

The second-best time to start was yesterday. The best time is now.

Look, would it have been better to start in your 20s? Sure.

Would it have been better to floss every day since 1997? Also yes.

But compound interest still works beautifully no matter your age—it just needs consistency and a bit of runway. You’ve still got time to build serious wealth. And probably better self-control than your 23-year-old self. So in a weird way, this might be your actual prime.

Start now, and your future self (age 55, sipping a Negroni poolside) will give you a spiritual high-five.

What the heck is compound interest (and why it’s your new best friend)

Compound interest is interest that earns interest. It’s money that stacks on money that stacks on more money. A financial snowball rolling downhill, picking up speed.

Imagine this:

You invest $100 a month starting at age 25. By 65—assuming a 7% return—you’ve got around $240,000.

Start at 35? It’s $120,000.

Start at 45? Still $56,000.

Not bad for something that runs on autopilot.

Time is the secret sauce. But the recipe still works, even if you start a little later. You just turn up the heat with slightly higher contributions.

Real humans. Real growth. Real simple.

• Alyssa, 23, auto-invests $50/week. She does it for 40 years. Boom: ~$600,000.

• Dan, 44, starts investing $150/week. Still ends up with over $400,000 by retirement.

Different paths. Same destination: not broke.

Here’s your simple 3-step plan to ride the compounding rocket:

1. Open a brokerage account
   Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, or user-friendly apps like Wealthfront or Betterment. Pick one. Doesn’t need to be fancy.

2. Automate a weekly or monthly contribution
   $10/week. $50/month. $200/month. Pick a number, automate it, and never think about it again.

3. Invest in something boring and reliable
   Think index funds like VTI or VOO. Not sexy, but they work. You're not a day trader. You’re a long-term wealth builder.

Final truth bombs before we go:

• Starting now beats waiting for a “better time.”

• Consistency beats perfection, every single time.

• You don’t need a ton of money. You need a habit.

Compound interest is like a personal assistant that works 24/7—if you hire it. So... hire it.

Start investing. Or increase what you’re doing by just 10%. Tiny move. Big future.

You got this.

-Tommy,

Banking On You

P.S. Seriously, stop reading this and set up auto-investing. Future you is watching.