<prompt> Human: I see posts here all the time asking for advice about cashing out 401k or other retirement accounts to pay off debt or worse. This saddens me, because people dont understand the power of compounding and what it can do for their personal finances. So I thought Id share my story of how my 401k has turned out for me. Perhaps a personal anecdote will drive the point home better than a financial calculator.I started working after college at the age of 23 Im currently 41. I was lucky to begin my career with a financial services company, who extolled to me the importance of contributing early and putting in as much as I could afford. Thus I prioritized saving, although it was difficult with a starting salary of only 28k, student loans to pay off, and a new car that I had just financed.However, I stuck with it, and things got easier over time as I received raises. This is what Ive been able to stash away over the years: 1995 2,800 1996 6,100 1997 8,800 1998 9,900 1999 10,000 2000 10,500 2001 10,100 2002 10,300 2003 12,000 2004 13,000 2005 14,000 2006 15,000 2007 15,500 2008 15,500 2009 16,500 2010 16,500 2011 16,500 2012 17,000 2013 17,500Total contributions: 237,500Current 401k account value: 610,000Note that over 60 of the money that is in my 401k is due to compounding growth and a little matching. I never took a loan from my 401k, and I always rolled the money over when I changed jobs which Ive done several times.The point is, keep feeding your 401k and dont ever touch it, and it will do wonders for you. If you want additional motivation, I recommend reading The 401k Millionaire I will be a 401k millionaire someday, and so can you.  <response>: Great post. Im a bit disappointed because were roughly the same age and my 401K has done nowhere near as well as yours. Without knowing your returns, its impossible to say, but Im assuming much of it is due to not being able to contribute over the last few years. Layoffs, unstable job market and paycuts have taken a toll. Fortunately, my industryjob prospects are starting to turn around and I should be able to fully fund my 401k again.Thanks for posting this! 