Catch-Up by Age
At 55 the numbers get bigger and so does every year of delay. The math below is the whole answer.
Twelve years to 67 is a short runway — which is why the order matters more, not less: match first, expensive debt gone, every dollar of catch-up room used.
What a monthly amount must be to reach a goal by age 67, starting now — at two assumed yearly returns. You pick the assumption; markets have landed inside this band and outside it. Projections are arithmetic, not promises.
| Goal by 67 | Monthly at an assumed 5% | Monthly at an assumed 7% |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $1,271 | $1,113 |
| $500,000 | $2,541 | $2,225 |
| $1,000,000 | $5,082 | $4,450 |
Shown for a start at age 55 (144 monthly contributions to 67). 2026 contribution limits checked October 23, 2026.
The same $400/mo invested from age 55 reaches about $89,878 by 67 at an assumed 7% return. Started at 25, it reaches about $1,217,483. The gap is real — it is compounding, and no product erases it. What closes it is the only lever you hold: a larger monthly amount, run through the right order, starting this month instead of next year.
The Filled Plan pack, the first-account walkthrough pack, the first-30-days plan, the full catch-up tables, the decoder card deck, and the order workbook — one pack, one-time payment.