For a contrived example, let's make the following assumptions: 1) There is no inflation. 2) Your capital investments always return 5%. 3) Your salary is $100

For a contrived example, let's make the following assumptions: 1) There is no inflation. 2) Your capital investments always return 5%. 3) Your salary is $100,000 and does not change. 4) You are able to save 50% of your income and invest it. At year 0, you are worth the equivalent of $2,000,000 invested. It won't be until year 40 that your investments are returning the same amount as your starting salary. Presumably, you plan to retire sometime around year 45 (~65-ish). Thing is, there is inflation, a 5% return isn't guaranteed, your salary will probably increase, and saving 50% is pretty ambitious. All of these things actually make it harder to get a better return than your salary.