Stock market collapses like the one in 2008 create fear in all of us. Some people were so afraid that they sold all their stocks near the bottom and decided to avoid stock investing altogether.
That was a costly mistake.
In the 17 years since the end of the financial crisis, the S&P 500 has grown at an average rate of approximately 14% per year—one of the best 17-year periods in market history.
Fear is dangerous when it comes to investing. But so are greed and overconfidence.
After the last few years, many investors are feeling pretty good about their performance. Stock market returns for 2023, 2024, and 2025 were excellent—one of the best three-year periods in history. My go-to index funds remain the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq-100. Just look at these remarkable gains.
INDEX FUND PERFORMANCE (2023–2025)
Year | S&P 500 | Nasdaq-100 |
2023 | 26.3% | 54.9% |
2024 | 24.9% | 25.6% |
2025 | 17.9% | 20.8% |
Total (Not Compounded) | 69.1% | 101.3% |
Compounded Return | 86.0% | 135.0% |
3-Year Average Return | 22.7% | 32.4% |
Banking these kinds of gains is fantastic and does wonders for our retirement accounts. However, we must be careful not to overreact and let greed take over.
The average annual returns during this three-year period were roughly double what we should expect over long-term market cycles. History shows that periods of exceptional outperformance are often followed by periods of underperformance, bringing long-term averages back toward more normal levels.
Overconfidence can lead investors to chase returns—and that often results in major mistakes. Overconfident investors lose discipline. They begin to believe that recent high returns will continue indefinitely and take on too much risk at exactly the wrong time.
Many of you have followed my recommendations over the past few years and generated tremendous gains. Several of you have told me that you made more money in the last three years than in your entire investing lives. That is incredibly gratifying.
The best investors do not make emotional decisions. They don’t panic during downturns or get carried away during market surges. The best investors are prepared for all possible scenarios.
Many of you have also shared that your recent success has sparked a deeper interest in investing. You’ve been reading my articles and books, along with content from other investment strategists. That’s terrific. The more educated you are, the better your investment decisions will be.
Recently, however, I’ve noticed that some of you are experimenting with buying individual stocks. While this can be educational, it also carries a significant risk—overconfidence.
We can all feel like investing geniuses during powerful bull markets when nearly everything is rising. Anyone who owned some of the “Magnificent Seven” stocks over the past five to ten years made a lot of money.
But investing in individual stocks is a very different—and far riskier—game than owning diversified index funds like the S&P 500 or Nasdaq-100. Individual stocks can, and often do, suffer far greater losses during market downturns.
During the 2022 bear market, the S&P 500 fell by about 23%. Many Magnificent Seven stocks dropped more than 70%. Even Nvidia declined by 64% that year.
Despite that decline, Nvidia still produced average annual gains of roughly 70% over the last five years. But that is the exception, not the rule. For every Nvidia, there are dozens of stocks that produced devastating losses.
Before adopting my investing system, many of you were earning annual returns of just 5% to 6%—typical for most retirement investors. Without a system designed to protect capital during severe bear markets, investors are forced into bonds and other low-return assets. Fear of losing money was holding back your results.
Since using my system, many of you have increased returns to nearly 20% per year in recent years. That’s outstanding. But it’s critical not to become overconfident or assume that investing is easy. The strong gains of 2023, 2024, and 2025 may look effortless—but they must always be viewed alongside difficult years like 2022, 2008, and 2001–2002.
Sum of losses:
3-Years 2000 to 2002 -46.5%
5-Years 2004 to 2008 -9.4%
Short-term results—whether one, three, or even five years—don’t tell us much. Market returns don’t truly stabilize until we examine 15- to 20-year periods.
For individual stocks, volatility is even more extreme. In 2025, only two of the Magnificent Seven stocks—Google and Nvidia—outperformed the S&P 500. The other five (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, and Meta) averaged gains of just 10.5%, compared to 17.9% for the S&P 500.
Fewer than 1% of the smartest, most experienced, and highest-paid professional investment managers can beat the S&P 500 over 20-year periods. Do you really believe you can consistently outperform them by picking individual stocks?
Any stock picker can get lucky over short timeframes. But sustaining superior results over decades requires extraordinary discipline, skill, and several hours of daily effort—something very few people possess.
I understand the appeal. Picking stocks and hitting a winner is exciting. The adrenaline rush is similar to gambling, where the odds are far worse than in the stock market.
Many people enjoy dabbling in stock picking. Compared to that, my investing approach may seem boring—even though it produces better long-term results.
If this sounds like you, consider yourself a stock-picking hobbyist. There’s nothing wrong with that—as long as you don’t put a large portion of your wealth at risk.
When I encounter hobbyists, I recommend limiting stock picking to less than 5% of your retirement nest egg—or using non-retirement “play money” that you can afford to lose. With only a small amount at risk, stock picking can’t do much damage.
Over 20-year periods, hobbyists should expect average returns of roughly 6% to 7%, accompanied by occasional big wins and painful losses—a roller-coaster ride. Some will even lose money in the long run if they bet on the wrong stocks.
Most hobbyists eventually give up. They tire of the effort and grow frustrated by losing picks.
The overconfidence and greed that follow excellent market years—like 2023 through 2025—can lead to painful mistakes. Resist the temptation to take on more risk in pursuit of a few “hot” stocks. Remember, when you own S&P 500 or Nasdaq index funds, you already own Nvidia, Google, and other high-flying companies.
Slow and steady wins the retirement investing race.
Stay Disciplined My Friends,
Phil
Disclaimers The Beyond Buy & Hold newsletter is published and provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not advising, and will not advise you personally, concerning the nature, potential, value, or suitability of any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, investment strategy or other matter. Beyond Buy & Hold recommends you consult a licensed or registered professional before making any investment decision.
Investing in the financial products discussed in the Newsletter involves risk. Trading in such securities can result in immediate and substantial losses of the capital invested. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Actual results will vary widely given a variety of factors such as experience, skill, risk mitigation practices, and market dynamics.
I love this time of year. It helps us reflect on the most important things in life. It is a season filled with meaning and an opportunity to connect with family and friends. I wish you a blessed and special holiday season filled with love and joy.
This time of year is often called the season of giving because it encourages us to reflect on the many blessings we have received and to turn our thoughts toward others in need.
It brings me great joy to help my clients improve their financial lives. Recently, many of you have shared how exceptional the gains in your retirement accounts have been over the past few years—greater than anything you have experienced before. Hearing that feedback is exactly why I do what I do. Thank you for sharing your success stories.
I consider myself a dreamer and often think about how to make a positive impact on the world. My clients are wonderful people, and I believe many of you share my desire to make the world a better place.
One conundrum I wrestle with is the reality that focusing too much on money can make us more selfish and less charitable. Unfortunately, research studies confirm this tendency.
There is nothing inherently bad about money. Like most areas of life, the key is achieving a healthy balance.
With that in mind, I would like to issue a challenge to all of us to create more meaning and impact with the wealth we build together.
My request is simple: I ask that you consider donating 10% of the money my investment system earns for you each year.
I am not asking you to donate 10% of your investments—only 10% of the annual gains. My Growth and Safety Fund is designed to generate long-term returns of approximately 14% per year.
For example, if you are investing $500,000, a 14% return equates to approximately $70,000 in annual gains. A 10% donation would be $7,000.
Even after making that donation, your net gain would still be $63,000, or a 12.6% return. Considering that most investors earn closer to 7% per year on their own, you would still be well ahead.
Those who are able to give more are encouraged to do so, while others should give what they can. And remember, giving your time to causes you care about can often have an even greater impact than financial contributions.
Many of you are fortunate to have saved more than enough to support yourselves throughout your lifetime. You can help your children, live comfortably, and still make a meaningful difference by supporting causes that matter to you.
Our generation has amassed great sums of wealth - more than any other generation in history.
We can’t take our money with us when we go, and there is no shortage of critical needs in the world today. We can all live well and make a difference.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Phil
Disclaimers The Beyond Buy & Hold newsletter is published and provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not advising, and will not advise you personally, concerning the nature, potential, value, or suitability of any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, investment strategy or other matter. Beyond Buy & Hold recommends you consult a licensed or registered professional before making any investment decision.
Investing in the financial products discussed in the Newsletter involves risk. Trading in such securities can result in immediate and substantial losses of the capital invested. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Actual results will vary widely given a variety of factors such as experience, skill, risk mitigation practices, and market dynamics.
Updated: Dec 18, 2025
The stock market has been unstable of late. See the chart below.
After a steady climb higher to the end of October, stock prices have stalled out in the last month and a half. Stocks declined in the first three weeks of November then rebounded over the three weeks ended December 12th. Over the last four days, prices have declined once again.
These up and down movements are the sign of an unstable market.
Most of the instability is coming from the tech sector, particular the AI trade. This next table compares the declines in the S&P 500 (the overall market) to the decline in the Nasdaq-100 (tech) to the change in the semiconductor sector (AI).
Market Performance Comparison
Period | S&P 500 | Nasdaq-100 | Semiconductor Stocks |
Oct. 29 – Nov. 20 | -5% | -8% | -12% |
Dec. 11 – Dec. 17 | -3% | -4% | -9% |
You can see that the semiconductor stocks have been leading the market lower in the two recent corrections. We are still in the middle of the latest correction so that story is still being written.
Investors were concerned about Oracle’s recent earnings report but there have also been positive reports from AI leaders like Google. The bubble has not popped yet, but it has stalled out of late.
The economy and the stock market are being driven by AI investments and spending from older affluent consumers sitting on large 401K and IRA accounts. There has been no slowdown in AI spending, but there has been some concern over the returns on the massive AI investments.
Unemployment continues to creep higher. Job growth has slowed but not stopped. The inflation report this morning was slightly below expectations. Once the tariff increases work their way through the economy, there is a good chance that inflation will drop to a more acceptable level. That could take three to six months.
The Fed is in a difficult decision and last week decided to lower interest rates by 0.25%. The market responded positively to today's inflation report as it appears to give the Fed more room to lower rates next year.
My stock markete valuation gauge indicates that the stock market (S&P 500) is now about 25% above its fair market value in mid December.
I do not trade based on market valuation levels and you should not either. It is just a reminder that you need a strategy in place to protect your savings in case we experience a bear market. Older investors in particular need loss protection during stock market downturns.
My investing system comes with built-in loss protection. It is designed to avoid most of the losses in bear market meltdowns. But it also produces big gains in bull markets. You can now invest in my system directly from your brokerage account. Click on this link to get on my calendar to learn how to start using my Growth and Safety investment system.
Stay Disciplined My Friends,
Phil
Disclaimers The Beyond Buy & Hold newsletter is published and provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not advising, and will not advise you personally, concerning the nature, potential, value, or suitability of any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, investment strategy or other matter. Beyond Buy & Hold recommends you consult a licensed or registered professional before making any investment decision.
Investing in the financial products discussed in the Newsletter involves risk. Trading in such securities can result in immediate and substantial losses of the capital invested. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Actual results will vary widely given a variety of factors such as experience, skill, risk mitigation practices, and market dynamics.
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