None of these numbers are adjusted for (estimated) inflation, right?
For instance, $1,000 from 1969 was worth the equivalent of over $6,000 in 2014 (45 years later, same as "start work at 20, retire at 65" examples)
So the benefits of investing, while not poor, are substantially less impressive than they appear from the raw numbers. That $21,000 of 2060 dollars might only buy as much as $3,500-4,000 in 2015, when that first $1,000 was invested.
For instance, $1,000 from 1969 was worth the equivalent of over $6,000 in 2014 (45 years later, same as "start work at 20, retire at 65" examples)
So the benefits of investing, while not poor, are substantially less impressive than they appear from the raw numbers. That $21,000 of 2060 dollars might only buy as much as $3,500-4,000 in 2015, when that first $1,000 was invested.