Just in case it wasn't clear to others, my argument wasn't that it isn't worth doing, it's that you cannot expect the level of returns that almost all articles,

Just in case it wasn't clear to others, my argument wasn't that it isn't worth doing, it's that you cannot expect the level of returns that almost all articles, publications, and blog posts claim. To expand, the reason one shouldn't rely on those is because people will bust out the spreadsheet, and put their 7-10% expected returns in there, and then figure out an amount of monthly savings that is "enough" for their goals. And then years will pass and they'll fall short. Yes, invest - it'll most likely beat inflation. But don't get the false sense of security. (And you'll like need more than a million anyway.)