Most people think investing is risky. It is, but only if you think short term.
S&P 500 odds of losing money:
Over 1 month → 39%. Over 1 year → 31%. Over 5 years → 20%
Over 10 years → 12%. Over 20 years → 0.1%
The market rewards patience. It punishes impatience.
The real risk isn't volatility. It's not staying invested long enough.
Time in the market > timing the market.
The greatest advantage individual investors possess is not superior information or market timing—it is the ability to remain invested. While institutions are often constrained by benchmarks, mandates, or short-term performance pressures, patient investors can harness the power of compounding over decades. The longer the investment horizon, the more fundamentals matter and the less short-term market noise matters.
