New Delhi, Feb. 16 -- Many of us treat retirement as a problem of the future. It is considered as something that is to be looked at once the children are done with through school, the home loan is paid, or the next big promotion kicks in. But, in the world of finance, time is not just a luxury. It can be one of the most powerful advantages in long-term investing.

As the Indian economy evolves and life expectancy increases, the traditional safety nets of previous generations are thinning. For the modern professional, it is important to start setting aside a corpus for retirement early. This can be the differentiator between a comfortable retirement and a stressful one.

When you start early, your money does the heavy lifting. Through the ...