Invest 10 years earlier, then stop—or start 10 years later and keep investing until today: who ends up with more?

Invest $10,000 at the beginning of each year in the S&P 500 (including dividends), through the end of 2025.

Started in 1995, invested for 10 years, then never added another dollar:
Principal: $100,000
End of 2004 → $152,000
End of 2008 → $123,000
End of 2019 → $554,000
End of 2025 → $1.288 million

Started in 2005, invested every year for 21 years without missing a year:
Principal: $210,000
End of 2008 → $29,000 (with $40,000 invested so far)
End of 2013 → $151,000
End of 2019 → $393,000
End of 2025 → $1.016 million

They invested twice as much principal, yet ended up $272,000 behind.
Twenty-one years of persistence couldn't catch up with someone else's 10-year head start.
Most people can't stick with it for even 21 years.

Data: Slickcharts annual total returns for the S&P 500; investments made at the beginning of each year. Excludes taxes, fees, currency effects, and inflation. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is not investment advice.

#定投 #标普500 #USStocks