[sbraford]

Exactly. Man I wish I had rich parents, even helping out $10k a year or so could go a long way when you're fresh out of school and expenses are still low.

An ex of mine got something like $25k cash for her college graduation present. Assuming she earned 10% or so on that for the next 40 years, she was already guaranteed to be a millionaire by retirement. Anything she did on her own was gravy.

[Psyonic]

While getting a $25000 college graduation present would be fantastic (although I bet she just bought a car), your projection is a bit optimistic. While yes, she would have a million dollars, that million dollars would only be worth $295712 after accounting for inflation (at a constant 3% yearly.) Still great, but she's not exactly ready for retirement.