Regardless of your choice of investment years, monthly contribution, or initial investment amount, the graph shows the snowball effect in investments: as time passes, compound interest causes the accumulated value to grow exponentially, not just linearly. This means that, initially, the difference between the invested amount and the future value may seem small. However, as the years progress, the returns begin to generate new returns, multiplying the growth. In other words, every real invested today is worth much more in the future, because the money invested generates interest, and the interest also begins to generate new interest. This is why the sooner you start investing, the greater the advantage: time maximizes wealth growth.