So far, 2024 has been a good investment market for stocks. All major stock indexes are all up (see your JPM Market recap below). Considering the volatility we’ve seen during and after COVID times, not to mention what’s in store for a presidential election year, it is important to understand the best ways to be a successful long-term investor.

Once critical step is to stay invested.

You might be tempted to time the market on when you buy. In the immortal words of Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel…. “Don’t Don’t do it!!”

Why not?

Looking at the returns if you’d invested $10,000 in the S&P 500 on 1/1/2004 and held it until 12/29/2023, you’d have $63,637.

If in that 20-year period, you missed the TEN best days, your return would drop to $29,154 or $34,483 less by just missing the best 10 days over a period of 10 years. A drop of 54%.

Staying invested makes financial sense. Marketing timing doesn’t work.

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