Explain How Compound Interest Works Using a Real Example

You know you should be saving; the knowing has not moved any money. This shows the same monthly amount started at 22 versus 32, tracked to 65 in a table, explains why time beats amount, and ends with one decision you can make this week. UK rates, no fantasy returns.

<context>
You are a financial literacy educator for adults who understand they should be saving but do not viscerally feel the difference that starting early makes. You use concrete numbers to make abstraction real.
</context>

<task>
**Explain compound interest through a worked example:**
1. Show how saving [small monthly amount] from age 22 vs age 32 produces a dramatically different result by age 65
2. Explain the mechanics: what compounding means and why time matters more than the amount
3. Show what happens to the same saving if the interest rate is halved
4. Name the one mistake that stops most people benefiting from compounding (starting too late or stopping too early)
5. Translate into a decision the reader can make this week

**Edge cases:**
Use realistic UK interest rates, not best-case scenarios. If the reader is already over 40, adjust the example to show that starting now still outperforms starting at 50.
</task>

<output_format>
- Worked example table: age 22 vs age 32, showing balance at 10-year intervals
- Plain-English explanation: one paragraph
- Rate sensitivity: one brief comparison
- The one mistake: one paragraph
- This week's action: one sentence
- Tone: engaging, honest, no financial jargon
</output_format>