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Cost of waiting calculator

What does waiting to start actually cost?

Compare starting today with starting after a delay, using identical assumptions, so the cost of waiting appears as a number rather than a feeling.

Written by
Suggested Investments Research Team
Content type
Calculator
Published
2026-09-13
Last reviewed
2026-09-13

Your assumptions

Frequency

A commonly used illustration rate. These are inputs to a hypothetical calculation, not expected or guaranteed returns.

Projected portfolio

$691,150

After 30 years, monthly contributions.

Money you contributed

$190,000

Estimated investment growth

$501,150

From contributions

27.5%

From growth

72.5%

Investment multiple

3.64×

The compounding crossover

Year 17

The point where hypothetical growth becomes larger than the money you personally added.

Compound growth

Portfolio value against the money you contributed. The vertical marker is the compounding crossover.

Hypothetical illustration based on the assumptions entered above. It is not a projection of actual results, and it does not include taxes or trading costs. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Contributions and growth, separated

Wealth comes from both saving and returns. The lower band is your own money.

What can waiting cost?

The same plan, the same assumptions, measured at year 30. Only the start date changes.

Start today

$691,150

Reference

Start in 1 year

$638,777

$-52,374 vs starting today

Start in 5 years

$462,290

$-228,860 vs starting today

Start in 10 years

$300,851

$-390,300 vs starting today

Time itself is a major component of compounding. These are hypothetical mathematical projections, not predictions, and they assume contributions only begin at the chosen start date.

How to read the result

  • The delayed plan loses the compounding years at the end of the period, not the beginning — which is why short delays cost more than people expect.
  • Waiting for a better entry price only pays if the wait is short and the price actually falls. The calculator shows what the wait costs if it does not.
  • If a delay is unavoidable, contributing a smaller amount now usually beats waiting for a larger amount later.

What this calculator cannot tell you

  • The comparison assumes the same return in both cases; a delay that happens to precede a crash would look better in hindsight.
  • It is not an argument for investing money you need within a few years.
  • Arithmetic on assumptions, not advice on timing any specific investment.

Terms used here

Sources and methodology

Standard future-value arithmetic. Every figure is hypothetical and depends entirely on the assumptions you enter.

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