The Buffett Retirement Secret Nobody Talks About

Here’s a mind-bending stat: 99% of Warren Buffett’s wealth came after age 65.

Before you think that’s depressing, flip the script. It actually proves something wild about compound interest that applies to literally anyone with a retirement account.

Let’s do the math: Say you had $100k in your 401(k) at 30, earning 8% annually (below market average). At 31? Around $108k. Boring, right? But skip to age 64-65 and your portfolio might jump by $110k in a single year alone. Same 8% return, but on a way bigger balance.

That’s compounding in action.

Buffett’s secret wasn’t genius stock picks (though he’s obviously good at that). It was time + consistency + boring index funds. He literally tells average investors to just load up S&P 500 ETFs and chill.

The real takeaway? If your nest egg looks sad in your 30s or 40s, that’s normal. The game gets interesting in the back half. Don’t panic, keep feeding it, and let math do the heavy lifting.

Time beats timing. Always.