To Be 18 Again

My eldest is about to turn 18. I have made the same offer to him that Mary Anne gave her nephew Danny when he hit that benchmark birthday.

Start an IRA. Commit to put in $25 every month and I will match it every month for the first year.

Why would we want to urge these young men into starting their retirement funds at such a tender age? WHY NOT?

It's painless.
It's a great habit to begin early.
It's a nest egg that will grow to $300,000 by the time they are 55 (if they continue to invest at the $25 per month rate).

It's something I wish I had done at 18.