27/08/2026
What if you invested at almost the worst possible time? Not once, but three times?
Vanguard’s hypothetical investor, Steve, invested $10,000 just before each of the dot-com crash, the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 downturn.
His timing was terrible. But he remained invested.
By 2025, his three investments—$30,000 in total—had grown to more than $117,000.
The lesson isn’t that market falls don’t matter. It’s that successful investing rarely requires perfect timing. A diversified portfolio, a long-term plan and the discipline to stay invested can matter far more.
A great short video for anyone feeling tempted to wait for the “right time” to invest, or to abandon their plan when markets become uncomfortable such as moving Superannuation to Cash "temporarily".
The Vanguard Index Chart illustrates how sticking to a long-term investment plan, with diversification across a range of asset classes, allows you to grow your wealth even in the face of market crises and short-term volatility.