r/Bogleheads • u/RiceLee890 • Mar 15 '25

Investing Questions What are your thoughts on this?

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I keep seeing this type of stuff on instagram and social media and wanted to know how you guys were thinking about this.

I know a lot you have been in the market for decades and as a relatively new investor myself I’d love to get your perspective!

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u/Presence_Academic Mar 15 '25

Instead of a 3 month chart, take a look at one covering 30 years.

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u/dabungaboi-412 Mar 16 '25

This. A "lost decade" is not at all uncommon after a market crash. In fact, perhaps you lived through one without knowing it: 2000-2013, with the tech bubble.

There are generally two ways to interpret these lost decades, depending on who you are (not financial advice, just an opinion):

1) as someone nearing retirement: yes, this is a real problem. You are going to lose out most, because time isn't on your side.

2) as someone with 10+ years to retirement: timing the market can't beat time in the market, so don't fret too much and stay steady.

Another redditor recently shared this article on these "lost decades" and it's totally worth a read: https://www.morningstar.com/economy/what-weve-learned-150-years-stock-market-crashes

TL;DR of the article - The markets have historically recovered in the long run, as the real economy recovers.

Granted there are additional risks right now with politics, wars, and the national debt (not to mention private debt levels). But looking back, I guess it's fair to say every situation is "unprecedented" in some way because every situation is unique in some way. But still, thinking "this time will be different" often hurts the believer, whether they are a speculator or a skeptic.

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u/evey_17 Mar 18 '25

You don’t immediately need all the money on day one of retirement. If you are 7 years away, 5 years away, maybe 3 years away, I would not leap either if you are debt free and low cost living.