Give yourself enough time 

Getting in shape to run 26 miles takes time, but you can feel the results as you approach your goal. In investing, time is your greatest asset because investments don’t increase in value overnight. If you invest $90 a month in a mutual fund—that’s just $3 a day—you could have over $18,000 in ten years (assuming a hypothetical average annual return of 10%).** Surprised? If you consistently invest without making withdrawals, you can earn money on both your principal and your interest. This process is known as compounding, and it is the key to long-term investment growth.

Need more convincing?

Look what happens when you let compounding work its "magic" over a lifetime. A teenager who invests $2,000 a year from age 14-18 will have $1,184,600 at age 65. An adult who invests $2,000 each and every year for 40 years from age 26 through 65 will only have $973,704 at age 65! That's because the teenager has more time for his money to grow, continuously earning interest off of itself. *

---

*Assumes all investments are made in a Roth IRA earning  an annual return of 10% and all  distributions are reinvested.

** This hypothetical return does not reflect the actual return of any of the Ariel Investment Trust or any other investment product. Automatic investment programs do not guarantee a profit and do not protect against loss in a declining market.