There’s one word that silently wrecks more financial futures than recessions, market crashes, or bad stock picks combined. That word is later.
“I’ll invest later.”
“I’ll save later.”
“I’ll get serious about money later.”
But here’s the truth: later is the most expensive word in finance. Every time you delay, you’re paying a price—whether you see it or not.
Time Is the Asset You Can’t Buy Back
Compound growth is fueled by time. Miss out on a few years at the beginning, and the gap becomes brutal.
Put $250 every two weeks into an 8% growth investment for 20 years, and you’re staring at around $320,000. Wait just 5 years to start, and suddenly you’ve got $100,000 less. Same contributions, same rate—just less time.
That’s the hidden price tag of “later.” It looks harmless today, but it’s devastating tomorrow.
Emotion vs. Logic
We love the comfort of “later.” It feels safe, like you’ve bought yourself more time. But finance doesn’t care about feelings. Logic is the only language money understands.
Logic says: the earlier you start, the more your money works for you.
Emotion says: “Relax, you’ve got time.”
One of them builds wealth. The other builds regret.
The $20 Rule: Discipline Over Delay
You don’t need to be a Wall Street prodigy to win—you just need to start. That’s where the $20 Rule comes in.
The rule is simple: for every $100 you earn, $20 gets invested.
Earn $500 this week? Invest $100. Earn $1,200 next paycheck? Invest $240.
It scales with you. No excuses. No waiting for “someday.” Just a clear, disciplined formula that forces your money to work while you focus on living.
It’s not glamorous. It’s not complicated. But it’s powerful. Because discipline, applied consistently, always beats delay. Every. Single. Time.
The Bottom Line
Markets recover. Jobs change. Houses appreciate. But time? Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
“Later” is a thief—it steals the one asset you can never replace. The cure is now. Not next week, not next paycheck, not after things “settle down.”
Start today. Because the most expensive word in finance will always be the one you keep telling yourself: later.
Ready to Kill “Later”?
Don’t just read this and nod along—act. Download the SmartValue Tracker from Trade With Logic. Use it to log your $20 Rule, track every contribution, and watch your discipline compound week by week.
Because wealth doesn’t wait. Why should you?
