Time in the Market

Maintain a long-term perspective

When investing, it's important to have a good long-term perspective — and a clear understanding of how time affects the market and your investments. In short, how long you invest can make a real difference in the final result.

Change is a constant

First, it's important to know that the marketplace is constantly changing. This chart shows the market over time, as measured by the change in value of the S & P 500 Index*. As you can see, there are ups and downs driven by changing economic, historical, and political forces. However, despite wars, depressions, and international crises, the U.S. stock market has risen substantially since 1926.

The right time to invest may be now

Many investors fear that they are investing at the wrong time — or that they should wait for a better time to start investing. There are always compelling reasons not to invest, as highlighted in this timeline.

The market has historically rewarded investors who have remained invested for the long-term — through periods of short-term volatility, market drops and spikes and other factors beyond the control of investors. However, it's important to remember that past performance of the stock market is not an indicator or guarantee of future results.

*You can not invest directly in an Index.

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Explore other Investing Essentials topics through the menu to the left. Access extensive reference materials through the Literature Library. Or contact a financial advisor for advice on the right investment strategy for your specific goals.

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Past performance does not guarantee future results. The performance quoted represents past performance and current performance may be lower or higher. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investors' shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance at NAV does not include the effect of sales charges. Performance includes the reinvestment of income, dividends and capital gain distributions.

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