If you're young and already investing for retirement, congratulations. You have just won the investing lottery.

That's because the long-term power of compounding is heavily on your side. And that can lead to a massive difference in your ultimate retirement savings.

For example, if you invest $10,000 in the market at 55, and make a compound return of 10% per year, about the average for the stock market over time, that investment will grow to $25,937 in the 10 years before retirement. However, if you invested that amount at age 35, letting your savings compound for three times as long for 30 years, it wouldn't grow into a pile three times large but seven times as large, at $174,494!

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Source Fool.com