I always enjoy reading Jason Zweig’s columns in the WSJ, and they parallel many of the recommendations from Jeremy and PFC.
In a recent article, Zweig noted that inflation and returns can really hammer a portfolio:
“Had you been able to sink $100 into U.S. stocks in each of the 199 months from February 1966 through the end of August 1982, your $19,900 in cumulative investments would have left you with $18,520 after inflation, according to Morningstar. By 1982, the purchasing power of $19,900 in 1966 dollars shrank to about $11,000…” (“How to Stand Up to a Bear Market”, 6/17/22)
The presence of a 16 year period where you would of lost money by regularly investing, and one that matches some of the issues we face today (e.g., rampant inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, energy crises) makes me wonder if there’s some better way to be investing other than early and often?