10/07/2026
The most expensive financial mistake we see is not always a bad investment. Often, it is waiting for the “right” time to start.
Putting it off for another month, then another year. Assuming there will be time to figure it out later. Telling yourself you will get around to it “soon”, until soon quietly turns into ten years.
The difference an early start can make is significant.
Investor 1 starts at age 25 and invests $5,000 a year for 10 years, making their final contribution at age 34. They contribute $50,000 in total and then stop investing altogether.
Investor 2 waits until age 35 to start and invests $5,000 a year for the next 30 years, contributing $150,000 in total.
Assuming the same rate of return, by age 65 Investor 1 has grown their investment to around $787,000.
Investor 2 finishes with around $612,000.
That means Investor 1 ends up approximately $175,000 ahead, despite contributing $100,000 less.
Not because they chose better investments. Not because they earned more. Simply because they started earlier and gave their money more time to compound.
We understand that life is genuinely busy, and finances can feel like something you will deal with once things settle down. But things rarely calm down on their own timeline, and the perfect moment to start rarely arrives when you expect it to.
One question we are asked all the time is, “Have I left it too late?”
Usually, no. But every year you delay is another year your money has less time to work for you.
Time is the real multiplier.
Starting imperfectly now will always beat starting perfectly later.
If you have been meaning to get your finances on track, take this as your nudge. Book a chat with our team;
https://www.pathwisewealth.com.au/contact