The benefit of starting early is big: If you put $1, 000 into an account that earns a 5 percent annual return when you're 20, you'll have about $26, 500 by your 40th birthday.

If you're earning 1.75% on an insured money market account when inflation is 2%, you have a negative real return of 0.25%.

Take this example: you put money into a saving account which gives you a poor return rate but you do so because you are "scared" of losing your money.