The Doubling Lilly Pad Problem

There is an old mathematical problem that goes something like this:

A lily pad sits on a pond and doubles in size every day.  If it completely covers the pond on the 3,650th day, then on what day did the lily pad cover half of the pond?

Answer:  The lily pad covered half of the pond on the 3649th day.

That is the pain of investing towards early retirement.  Compound growth is parabolic and a ton of it happens at the end.  Hurry up and wait for that moment.

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