[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Did you do systematic deposit (a/k/a dollar cost averaging)? Sure, if you just throw a wad of money at something like that, then it's all going to depend on the timing of when you put it in, and when you take it out.

If you put in another $100 per month, then your return would likely be much, much better, since you would have kept buying when the market was collapsing.

Finally, you reference "today's economy" as if that's something different from historical performance. Frankly, there are many times in the history of the stock market that it just goes sideways, basically, for years. Does nothing.

Most of the market's gains are done in bursts, that then sustain for a long time. Reaching a new plateau, if you will. But if you miss that burst, then you're often out of luck until the next one.

Dollar cost averaging lets you buy shares when the market sucks, and everyone else is panicking. Then when the burst comes, you reap the reward.

Personally, after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars after the 2008 crash, I'm done. I'll never put money there, again. I'd rather see a 1% yield and have my money, rather than 60% losses while "hoping" it comes back to even.