We have done a lot of shows on how much you should be saving, and plenty of people wonder how we come up with the rates of return we mention. We actually think these are great questions, so in this episode of The Money Guy Show, we get into historical averages and how we arrive at the rates of return we discuss in this episode and others.
Investing is a powerful tool that can help you put your army of dollar bills to work and build wealth. How much wealth? Well, join us as we take a look at the data.
Yes, you can make money investing. And, no, it’s not gambling! Tune in today as we share all the tools you need to maximize your money in the investment universe! We have the numbers that will prove you can make money investing, the experience to teach you how it all works, and how to use the most popular investment tools to your advantage!
Here is what you will learn in today’s episode:
- Historical asset class performance over the last 10 years and long term
- How to understand the impact behavior has on investor performance, as shown by Dalbar
- What historically happens when investors try to outperform the indices
- Over the last 20 years, how the average investor performed relative to the S&P 500 and what it reveals
- All the reasons why the average investor underforms indices
- The biggest mistakes people make when it comes to investing (even though they “know” better)
- Why people tend to be skeptical and cautious about investing, but what the data reveals is actually the natural state of the economy
- Why downturns and market volatility are beneficial to young investors
- What the absolute worst thing you can do with your investments during a market downturn
- What Dollar Cost Averaging is and how it works
- Why investing isn’t random, but follows a cyclical pattern and what investors can do to capitalize on that
- Which financial habits you should focus on more rather than chasing returns
- When target date retirement funds are most useful and how to know when you have possibly outgrown them
- How to overcome analysis paralysis when it comes to investing and just do it
Resources and Research Cited in this Episode
- The Average Investor Blown Away by Market Turmoil in 2018 (Dalbar)
- Why the Average Investor Earns Below Average Market Returns (The Balance)
Related Money Guy Shows
- Ways to Overcome Investment Analysis Paralysis
- Should You Pay Off Debt Before Investing?
- Top Investing Lessons from Warren Buffett’s Letter to Shareholders 2018
- How to Invest a Windfall of Cash: Dollar Cost Averaging vs Lump Sum
Enjoy the Show?
Where You Can Watch and Listen:
Subscribe on these platforms or wherever you listen to podcasts! Turn on notifications to keep up with our new content, including:
- Episodes of The Money Guy Show every Friday
- Episodes of Making a Millionaire every other Monday
- Mini-shows every Wednesday
- Ask Money Guy Livestreams every Tuesday
- Tons of other fun content!
Free Resources
Free Resources
Financial Order of Operations®: Maximize Your Army of Dollar Bills!
Here are the 9 steps you’ve been waiting for Building wealth is simple when you know what to do and the order in which to...
Free Resources
Wealth Multiplier By Age
If you want to set yourself up for future success, find out how much you need to save every month to become a millionaire.
Free Resources
Car Buying Checklist
Here’s how you can buy a dependable car that won’t break the bank. Our free checklist walks you through the 20/3/8 rule and strategies to...
Articles
Articles
5 Creative Ways To Save More Money
Whether your goal is to increase your investing rate or save more for big goals like buying a home, going on a nice vacation, or...
Articles
Are Index Funds Still Better Than Active Funds in 2025?
Over longer periods of time, index funds tend to outperform actively managed funds in most categories. Recently, total assets in index funds have surpassed the...
Articles
The 5 Best Tools To Cover Life’s Greatest Financial Risks
Money is a ubiquitous stressor. 71% of Americans say that money is a significant cause of stress in their lives. Financial stress is frequently caused...
Financial FAQs
Courses & Tools
How about more sense and more money?
Check for blindspots and shift into the financial fast-lane. Join a community of like minded Financial Mutants as we accelerate our wealth building process and have fun while doing it.
Free Resources
Financial Order of Operations®: Maximize Your Army of Dollar Bills!
Here are the 9 steps you’ve been waiting for Building wealth is simple when you know what to do and the order in which to...
Free Resources
Wealth Multiplier By Age
If you want to set yourself up for future success, find out how much you need to save every month to become a millionaire.
Free Resources
Car Buying Checklist
Here’s how you can buy a dependable car that won’t break the bank. Our free checklist walks you through the 20/3/8 rule and strategies to...
Recent Episodes
It's like finding some change in the couch cushions.
Watch or listen every week to learn and apply financial strategies to grow your wealth and live your best life.
Episodes
Financial Advisors React to Jaw-Dropping Money Clips
Is a $42 million meme coin or Pokémon cards better than the S&P 500? We react to the internet's wildest, jaw-dropping financial takes and set...
Episodes
Are You On Track to Becoming a Multi-Millionaire? (2026 Edition)
We are back with a classic and want to know: are you on track to become a multi-millionaire? In this 2026 edition, we break down...
Episodes
The No BS Guide to Conquering Your 20s
Your 20s are your most powerful wealth-building decade, and we are ready to give you our real take so you can level up. In this...