Invest now or later? Twins Barbara and Mary are both age 27. Beginning at age 27, Barbara invests $2000 per year for ten years and then never sets aside another penny. Mary waits 10 years and then invests $2000 per year for the next 30 years. Assuming they both earn 7 percent, how much will each twin have at age 67?

Step 1: Barbara starts investing $2000 annually for ten years and then stops. When Barbara reaches age 37 she has accumulated $[___].?

Step 2: After Barbara stopped contributing to her investment she left the total she had accumulated in the account to continue earning 7% annually. When Barbara reaches age 67, her investment has grown to $[___].?

Step 3: At age 37, Mary begins to invest $2,000 annually at 7% and continues for 30 years. When Mary reaches age 67,her investment has grown to $[___]. ?

Step 4: Mary contributed $60,000 to her investment ($2,000 annually for 30 years) whereas Barbara only contributed $20,000 to her investment ($2,000 annually for 10 years). Time makes a huge difference, though Barbara only invested 1/3 as much money as Mary did, her investment was able to outpace Mary's by $[___].?