Becoming a millionaire is now an American dream, and achieving this dream is much easier than you may think. All you need is time, dedication, lots of patience and not too much luck. The following example really demonstrates the power of savings when you have time on your side. It's also great motivation to get you thinking about retirement and savings.

Let us assume the following:
1. You are 18 years of age
2. You will retire at age 62 (Gotta enjoy your retirement - right?)
3. The average rate of return during this time will be 10%
4. You will be making the maximum contribution into a ROTH IRA until age 25 (8 total contributions).

Yearly investments of $2,000 into a Roth IRA will produce the following results:

Age	Years till	Avg Return	Investment	Estimated Future
	Retirement					Value

18	44		10%		2,000		197,352
19	43		10%		2,000		177,794
20	42		10%		2,000		160,175
21	41		10%		2,000		144,302
22	40		10%		2,000		130,002
23	39		10%		2,000		117,119
24	38		10%		2,000		105,512
25	37		10%		2,000		 95,056
					------		-------
Total					16,000		1,127,312

As demonstrated, simple $2,000 yearly investments for 8 years can turn a poor 18 year-old into a 62 year-old millionaire. This example clearly illustrates the power of time on the growth rate of money. It is important, however, to consider this information in relation to inflation and other retirement investments (401K, Social Security, Pension and additional Roth investments after the age of 25).

In any case, I hope that this little example will help encourage everyone to consider the importance of investing. It sure helps me to be enthusiastic about savings and to keep things in perspective.

njbagelusa@netscape.net