The Motley Fool

Average home prices are up 737% since 1980. The S&P 500 is up 18,894% over the same period.

Leverage gives you confidence you haven’t earned… …and losses you can’t afford.

The best investors aren’t fearless. They’re just trained to act despite fear.

The longer your horizon, the clearer the truth: time beats timing.

The market doesn’t test your IQ. It tests your patience.

Consider this! Missing just the 10 best market days over 20 years can halve your investing returns.

Do not borrow money to buy stocks, please.

Markets rise 3 out of every 4 years on average — optimism pays.

Every bubble starts as “This time is different” and ends as “How did everyone miss that?”

Every investor eventually learns: volatility is the price of admission.

When margin debt sets new highs, it usually isn’t because investors are fearless — it’s because they’ve forgotten the last time fear mattered.

You’ve got to accept some losing stocks along the way to finding (and holding) the biggest winners of your life.

Recessions hurt. Missing the rebound hurts more.

Microsoft IPO’d exactly 40 years ago. March 13, 1986. $21 bought one share. Hold one share through the splits… That’s 288 shares today. Worth $115,747. Pays $956 a year in dividends. All it required was 40 years of doing nothing.

You don’t need to predict the next crash. You need to endure it.

Any broker pushing “trading” is really pushing one thing: their profits.

PURCHASING POWER OF A 1950 DOLLAR 1950: $1.00 1960: $0.84 1970: $0.72 1980: $0.40 1990: $0.24 2000: $0.17 2010: $0.13 2020: $0.10 2025: $0.09 If you don't invest, you will be left behind.

$100,000 invested at 8% for 30 years: $1,000,000 $100,000 invested at 7% (after a 1% fee): $760,000 Same market. $240,000 difference. Fees compound too.

Since 2020: +903%: Bitcoin +380%: Silver +234%: Gold +213%: Technology +165%: Nasdaq +131%: Industrials +131%: S&P 500 +111%: Consumer Discretionary +71%: International Stocks +67%: Consumer Staples +6%: Bonds

You can’t call yourself a long-term investor if your patience expires every earnings call.