What these two processes share is baked into the math of each. In fact, in that respect, they're nearly identical. They both involve some stuff (atoms or money) that is either growing or shrinking.

Earning interest remains one of the cornerstones of investing and lets you earn passive income by putting your money into interest-bearing securities or accounts. Compound interest allows you to ...

Compound interest is one of the great powers of the financial world. Compound interest can help a 20-year-old become a multimillionaire by retirement age without having to save millions. Whether you ...

Compound interest is the interest earned on money that has already earned interest. Compound interest helps your money grow faster, with no additional investment on your part. Many or all of the ...

Liliana Hall was a writer for CNET Money covering banking, credit cards and mortgages. Previously, she wrote about personal credit for Bankrate and CreditCards.com. David McMillin writes about credit ...