Starting to invest at age 35 rather than 25 can more than halve your nest egg

See more This is Money on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Updated: 02:00 EDT, 29 August 2026 Waiting just ten years before beginning investing can more than halve your eventual nest egg, This is Money can reveal.Investors who delay investing until age 35, instead of beginning at 25, will lose out on hundreds of thousands of pounds, according to platform Interactive Investor.It found that delaying can trim your pot at age 65 by some 58 per cent.Not only does sitting on your hands reduce the amount of money you contribute, it means your money will have less time to compound. Dilly-dallying can sink your pot from £1.2million to £513,230, say fresh calculations Your contributions can grow when you invest, but the heavy lifting for sky-high growth is done by the returns you get on previous returns. It means that waiting even a few years to start investing can deal a massive blow to your eventual pot.Camilla Esmund, head of investor campaigns at the platform, says: 'Time in the market, not timing the market, is a classic investment mantra, and these calculations showcase just how true that is.'These calculations show that the earliest investor is not just contributing for longer, they are also giving their money much more time to generate returns on top of previous returns.'Starting earlier does not just add a few extra years of contributions, it gives investments more time to snowball.'For example, if someone starts investing at age 25 with £100 a month, they can expect a £404,642 pot at age 65.But wait until age 35 to start and they have just £171,077 at age 65.Another ten years on and this plummets to just £65,828, almost 84 per cent less than if they had started two decades previously.This assumes that contributions increase 2 per cent every year, in line with the Bank of England's inflation target, and that investments grow by 8 per cent a year.Investment returns are typically higher than those on cash, but you can of course lose money in equities unlike safe cash interest which is guaranteed.In reality returns could be better or worse than this predicted 8 per cent.You should only invest money you don't need for at least five years, if not ten, as your money should be left alone to ride the waves of the stock market.The plunge in a nest egg is even more noticeable for someone who starts by investing £300 a month at age 25, as they end up with a whopping £1.2million nest egg when they reach age 65.Wait ten years to start and this falls to £513,230, and even further to £197,485 if you wait another ten years on top.Esmund adds: 'Building a well-diversified portfolio is indeed vital, and it's important that new investors understand this, but we should also remember that the hesitation of getting started in the first place could be costing you over the long term.'Compare the best DIY investing platforms Investing online is simple, cheap and can be done from your computer, tablet or phone at a time and place that suits you.When it comes to choosing a DIY investing platform, stocks & shares Isa, self invested personal pension, or a general investing account, the range of options might seem overwhelming. > This is Money's full guide to the best investing platforms Every provider has a slightly different offering, charging more or less for trading or holding shares and giving access to a different range of stocks, funds and investment trusts. When weighing up the right one for you, it's important to to look at the service that it offers, along with administration charges and dealing fees, plus any other extra costs.We highlight the main players in the table below but would advise doing your own research and considering the points in our full guide to the best investment accounts.Platforms featured below are independently selected by This is Money’s specialist journalists. If you open an account using links which have an asterisk, This is Money will earn an affiliate commission. We do not allow this to affect our editorial independence. DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS Admin charge Charges notes Fund dealing Share, trust, ETF dealing Regular investing Dividend reinvestment AJ Bell* 0.25% Max £3.50 per month for shares, trusts, ETFs (£10 cap in Sipp). £1.50 £5 Free £1.50 per deal More details Bestinvest 0.40% (0.2% for ready made portfolios) Account fee cut to 0.2% for ready made investments. Free £4.95 Free for funds Free for income funds More details Charles Stanley Direct* 0.30% Min platform fee of £60, max of £600. £100 back in free trades per year. £4 £10 Free for funds n/a More details Etoro* Free Stocks, investment trusts and ETFs. Limited Isa, no Sipp.Not available Free n/a n/a More details Fidelity* 0.35% on funds £7.50 per month up to £25,000 or 0.35% with regular savings plan. Free £7.50 Free funds £1.50 shares, trusts ETFs £1.50 More details Freetrade* Free (paid plans give better rates and features)Stocks, funds, investment trusts and ETFs.Free Free n/a n/a More details Hargreaves Lansdown* 0.35% Capped at £150 annually for shares, trusts, ETFs in Isa £1.95 £6.95 Free Free More details Interactive Investor* £5.99 per month under £100k (Core); £14.99 above (Plus) Free monthly trade on Plus plan. £3.99 (Core); £1.49 (Plus) £3.99 Free £0.99 More details InvestEngineFree Only ETFs. Managed service is 0.25% Not availableFree Free Free More details Prosper* Free Refunded fees on 30 ETFs. No shares.Free Free Free Free More details Scottish Widows Free £5 £5 n/a 2%, max £5 More details Trading 212* Free Stocks, investment trusts and ETFs. Not available Free n/a Free More details Vanguard Only Vanguard's own products0.15% Only Vanguard fundsFree Free only Vanguard ETFs Free n/a More details (Source: ThisisMoney.co.uk June 2026. Admin % charge may be levied monthly or quarterly