Cost of Procrastinating Calculator
Enter the monthly amount, the return and how long you delay.
Cost of procrastination
β
Enter values above
Value if you start now
β
Value after the delay
β
Extra monthly needed to catch up
β
Contributions missed
β
Compound growth missed
β
Worked example
With the default inputs shown below, this calculator returns the following results:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly investment you intend ($) | 500 |
| Expected annual return (%) | 7 |
| Years you procrastinate | 5 |
| Total investing horizon (years) | 25 |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost of procrastination | $144,573 |
| Value if you start now | $405,036 |
| Value after the delay | $260,463 |
| Extra monthly needed to catch up | $777.53 |
| Contributions missed | $30,000 |
| Compound growth missed | $114,573 |
Values shown are produced by this page in your browser; change any input to update them.
How to use the Cost of Procrastinating Calculator
- Monthly investment you intend ($) β default 500
- Expected annual return (%) β default 7
- Years you procrastinate β default 5
- Total investing horizon (years) β default 25
- Press Calculate to update the results instantly.
Frequently asked questions
Over long horizons, usually yes. Money invested early compounds for the whole period, so a five-year delay removes both the contributions and all the growth those contributions would have generated.
The catch-up figure shows it. Because the remaining period is shorter, the monthly amount has to rise substantially β often by 50β100% β to reach the same end value.
Invest something smaller immediately and increase it later. Starting at a lower amount beats waiting, because every month invested adds a full horizon of compounding.