Session Recap April 28, 2026

Session 11: The 1 in 3 Problem

Roth IRA versus 401(k), index funds versus individual stocks, and the real math on what starting at 18 instead of 28 is worth by retirement.

Building Wealth From Zero, worked out on the whiteboard

AZ FTRS Spring 2026, Session 11, April 28, 2026.

The Other Half of Investing

Session 2 launched an active portfolio built around real tickers and a defended trading strategy. Session 11 builds its opposite: a long-term retirement account, where the whole strategy is to pick reasonable investments and leave them alone for decades. Same investing unit, a completely different discipline.

1 in 3
Americans have zero retirement savings, a gap this session exists specifically to close before it ever has the chance to open.

Ten Years, Run Twice

We ran the same simple exercise twice: a fixed monthly contribution starting at 18 and stopping at 28, against the same monthly contribution starting at 28 and continuing to retirement. Students were surprised, some more than once, that the person who stopped contributing at 28 still ended up ahead, purely because their money had more years to compound.

"I didn't believe the math the first time. I ran it myself and got the same answer."

What $1,000 at 14 is worth by retirement Working through a retirement account worksheet

Roth IRA, 401(k), and Index Funds

Students built a mock retirement allocation split between index funds, choosing broad growth over betting on a single company, and compared a Roth IRA's tax-free growth against a 401(k)'s employer match. Neither one "wins" universally. The point was understanding what each is actually for.

What's Next

Session 12 is Demo Day: every venture built back in Session 8 gets pitched live to a panel of local Arizona entrepreneurs and financial experts.