Gyroscopic Investing

[align=center]The amount of money you invest.
The length of time it compounds.
Your asset allocation and security selection.
Those assets’ annual compounded return.
The investment costs you absorb.
The taxes that you pay.[/align]

MangoMan wrote: What about #0: "The amount of money you earn"?
For without #0, there is no #1.
HB got that right for sure.

Earnings = work-related compensation excluding fringe benefits

Not everyone has earnings, and not everyone with earnings makes enough to invest the excess.

But some people inherit substantial assets.  Others are awarded damages in injury lawsuits and those awards have to be invested to cover the costs of medical treatment or care.  And a few lucky people win the lottery. None of these are earnings.