The Case for Staying Invested

Timing the market might feel proactive—but history shows that consistent, long-term investing has typically produced better outcomes.

If you had invested $10,000 in the S&P 500 and left it untouched for 20 years, your investment would have grown to $64,844. But if you missed just the 10 best market days during that period, your return would have been cut in half. Missing the 60 best days would have reduced your investment to just $4,205.

This dramatic difference highlights one of the most important investing lessons: it’s not about timing the market—it’s about time in the market.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Source: RiskBridge, JP Morgan, data from January 2003 to December 2022

Why Market Timing Doesn’t Work

Market highs and lows often happen in close succession. Some of the strongest market days occur during periods of uncertainty or volatility—right when investors are most likely to pull out.

Trying to perfectly time the market requires being right twice:

• Knowing when to exit
• And knowing exactly when to get back in

Even professional investors struggle with this consistently. Most people miss out on gains by waiting for the “perfect” moment to reinvest—which often never comes.

The Emotional Side of Investing

Let’s face it—market drops can be unnerving. It’s human nature to want to avoid losses. But reacting emotionally to short-term market movements can sabotage your long-term strategy. Building wealth over time requires discipline, patience, and perspective. Staying invested—even when the market is turbulent—often puts investors in a better position to benefit from eventual recoveries.

A Long-Term Perspective with a Strategic Mindset

Investing isn’t about reacting to headlines. It’s about keeping your eyes on your long- term goals.

A thoughtful, long-term strategy can help you navigate around risks while also uncovering opportunities that emerge in every market cycle. When you allow your portfolio to grow through market ups and downs—guided by a plan tailored to your needs—you’re making progress toward goals that go beyond any single moment in time.

At Finley Davis Private Wealth, we believe your strategy should reflect your personal vision—not the market’s daily swings.

Opportunities Exist in Every Market Cycle

We help clients navigate risk and uncover opportunities that align with their goals. If you’re looking for a team that can help guide you through every season of the market, let’s start the conversation.

DISCLOSURES:
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Personnel of RiskBridge
Advisors, LLC (“RiskBridge”) prepared this material. The views expressed herein do not
constitute research, investment advice, or trade recommendations. RiskBridge may,
from time to time, participate or invest in transactions with issuers of securities that
participate in the markets referred to herein, perform services for or solicit business
from such issuers, and/or have a position or effect transactions in the securities or
derivatives thereof.
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Information about benchmark indices is provided to allow you to compare it to the
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recognized indices as one way to gauge the investment performance of an investment
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S&P 500® Index is a market capitalization-weighted index of 500 of the largest U.S.
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