I'm Nicole Lapin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand.

It's time for some money rehab.

Today we're going to talk about one of the most expensive mistakes you can make with your money.

And it's one that a lot of people don't even realize they're making. Are you ready for it?

It's waiting to invest. Yeah, you're sitting on the sidelines and that can cost you big time. Today,

I'm going to prove it. I get it. Investing can be intimidating. There is so much jargon, so many

numbers, and so many opinions. Maybe you're thinking,

I'm doing just fine with my salary and I don't need to invest. Thank you very much. Or I need to learn

more before I dive in. And trust me, I've heard all the excuses and I even used a few of them

myself back in the day. But here's the truth. When it comes to investing, time is literally

money. The biggest factor in growing your wealth, it's not about picking the hottest stock

or timing the market just right. You may have heard me say that the ROI on investments

typically doesn't come from timing the market, rather how much time you are in the market.

It is as simple as that. The longer you are

invested, the more it can grow thanks to the magic of compound interest. I told you I would

prove it, and I will. Let's say you invest $5,000 in the stock market. Historically, the S&B

500 has returned about 10% a year. Now, of course, some years are higher and some years are lower,

but 10% is a good average for us to illustrate this point. Here's how much you could have by the time

you're 65 depending on when you start. If you start at 20 years old, you'll invest a total of $225,000.

By 65 years old, that could grow to around $3.6 million. If you wait until 30,

you'll invest 175k. By the time you're 65, you'll have about $1.4 million. That's a lot,

but look at the difference. That's over $2 million for just waiting 10 years. If you start at 40,

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