The cost of waiting: How one man lost 20 years of compounding by doing nothing with his money

After 22 years of hard work, a 45-year-old professional sat on Rs 32 lakh in savings and an untouched Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) balance. He also had multiple insurance policies — none designed to create wealth. His investments? Zero. Not a single rupee working for him.

When he met CA Nitin Kaushik, he quietly admitted, “I always thought I had time.” It’s a line Kaushik says he has heard too many times in his financial advisory career — people who didn’t make poor choices, but simply made no choices at all.

Kaushik’s viral post on X (formerly Twitter) uses this real-life example to highlight a painful truth: saving money is not the same as growing it. “Saving feels responsible — and it is,” he wrote. “But saving alone is a silent form of financial decay. Inflation eats quietly. Every year you wait to invest, your purchasing power dies a little.”

Silent erosion

The difference between saving and investing is time — and what you do with it. If you invest Rs 10,000 per month at a 12% annual return starting at age 25, you could build Rs 3 crore by 55. Delay that start until 45, and you’d end up with barely Rs 45 lakh.

The income, effort, and discipline are identical — yet the lost compounding time costs over Rs 2.5 crore. That, Kaushik says, is the real price of hesitation.

Balanced investing 

The man eventually began investing Rs 15,000 a month into index funds and a balanced equity plan. It wasn’t an overnight fix, but it was a start. “Compounding doesn’t look at age — it only respects consistency,” Kaushik explains. “The earlier you begin, the lighter your load. The later you start, the heavier your effort must be. But the worst choice is never starting at all.”

This story is a reflection of what happens when good intentions meet inaction. Many hardworking people save diligently, believing that money parked in the bank equals security — yet forget that inflation quietly eats away at its value. The real growth happens only when money is invested and allowed to compound. Each year of waiting is a year of opportunity lost. The truth is simple: wealth isn’t built by timing the market but by giving time to the market. Saving is the first step, but investing is what creates freedom. The best time to start was yesterday; the next best time is today.

From intention to action

Kaushik’s takeaway is clear: money doesn’t respond to emotion — it responds to action. Many people “mean to start” investing but never do, waiting for the right time, the right salary, or the right market. But in reality, every year of delay costs more than any market fluctuation ever could.

“The best time to invest was ten years ago,” Kaushik concludes. “The next best time is right now.”

Because in personal finance, doing nothing isn’t safe — it’s the most expensive decision you can make.