Compound Interest

What Squirrels Know About Long-Term Wealth

If you’ve ever watched a squirrel frantically stuff an acorn into the dirt like it’s the most important task of the century… you’ve witnessed the magic of long-term thinking.

Squirrels are tiny, twitchy geniuses. They don’t eat every nut they find. Instead, they stash, store, and stack their future — one acorn at a time.

Sound familiar? It should — because that’s exactly how compound interest works. 🐿️

1️⃣ Start With One Tiny Acorn

You don’t need a forest to start growing wealth. You need one acorn.Compound interest means your money earns interest — and then that interest earns interest — and so on.

Even small amounts saved consistently will begin to grow into something big.You don’t see it right away, but your future self will thank you like a squirrel finding a forgotten snack stash in February.

💡 Mom Squatch Tip: $50/month invested over 30 years at 7% interest grows to over $60,000. That’s one powerful little acorn.

2️⃣ The Earlier You Bury It, The Bigger It Grows

Squirrels don’t wait until the last minute of fall to start stockpiling acorns — they start early, and often.Same goes for compound interest.Time is the secret sauce.

Even small investments in your 20s can outgrow larger investments made later in life — thanks to compounding.

🧮 Sasquatch Math:

• $5,000 invested at 8% at age 25 → grows to ~$80,000 by age 55

• Wait until age 35 to invest the same $5,000? You’ll have ~$37,000

🌳 Moral of the story: The earlier you start, the bigger your tree.

3️⃣ Squirrels Don’t Touch Every Acorn

Squirrels bury more acorns than they’ll ever dig up — not because they forget (well, sometimes), but because they’re playing the odds.They’re okay with delayed gratification. And so should we be.

Compound interest rewards patience, not panic:

• Don't pull your money out early

• Don’t chase the latest investment hype

• Let those acorns rest, grow, and do their thing underground

🛑 Do not poke the acorn with a stick every week to check on it.

4️⃣ Consistency Over Chaos

Squirrels don’t dump 100 acorns in one hole and hope for the best.They spread their stash — one at a time — across a wide area. Smart little fuzzballs.

Same with your investments:

• Regular contributions (monthly is great!)

• Diversify across accounts: 401(k), Roth IRA, HSA, brokerage

• Stay the course — even when the market looks nutty (pun intended)

🌰 Remember: It’s not about timing the market. It’s about time in the market.

5️⃣ From Acorns to Oaks

Eventually, forgotten squirrel acorns sprout into oak trees.And your compound interest? It starts to snowball — faster and bigger with each passing year.

By the time you hit retirement (or fund your big dream — like a converted bus named “The Nest Egg”), you’ve got a full-blown forest of financial freedom.

🐾 Mom Squatch Wisdom: Wealth doesn’t have to be flashy — it just needs to be planted, protected, and left alone to grow.

🌰 Final Thought: Be the Squirrel

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to start.

Bury the acorns.

Leave them be.

Let time do the work.

And one day, you’ll wake up in the shade of something mighty.