A Strong Year for Stocks: Reminder that Staying Invested Could be Your Best Strategy
As 2024 wraps up, it’s a perfect time to look back and celebrate an incredible year for many investors and the stock market.
The S&P 500 has once again shown its strength, delivering impressive returns and reminding us why staying invested pays off.
Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just getting started, let’s take a moment to reflect on what made 2024 special and how you can keep building toward your financial future.
A Year of Growth and Resilience
This year, the US stock market climbed over 29% as of 12/16/2024¹, which would be the 2nd best year since 2015 if the year ended ended on that date. This highlights the market’s ability to bounce back, even when the outlook may have felt uncertain. If you need a reminder why long-term investing could be one of the best strategies, the S&P 500 has generated a 20-year total return of 657%, a 10-year total return of 250% and a 5-year total return of 108% as of 11/30/2024.²
Here’s the key takeaway: long-term investing and staying invested has worked historically. The market won’t always deliver double-digit gains, but history shows that it rewards patience and consistency.
Two Centuries of Steady Growth
Looking at nearly two centuries of stock market history³, the story becomes even clearer:
The average annual return is around 9.7%.
About 70% of the time, the market ends the year positive.
This long-term growth shows why investing regularly—even if small at first—can build wealth over time.
Set Yourself Up for 2025: Easy, Automated Investing
If you’re looking for a simple way to invest in 500 of the biggest U.S. companies, Beanstox has you covered with Stocks 500 and can also set you up with personalized portfolios with Beanstox Plus and Beanstox Premium. If you want it all, Beanstox Premium gives you access to Roth and Traditional IRAs that invest in personalized portfolios.
Here's how it works:
Choose Your Account: Invest in Stocks 500, Power Savings, Wealth Builder, or tax-advantaged IRA accounts.
Set It and Forget It: With automated deposits, you can invest a little at a time, stress-free. The goal is to keep investing.
Accessible and Simple: Whether you’re starting fresh or adding to your portfolio, it’s easy to grow your wealth with Beanstox.
The Final Thought
This holiday season, celebrate the progress you’ve made and think about the opportunities ahead. The market’s strong 2024 is a reminder of the power of long-term investing. As we move into 2025, keep it simple, stay consistent, and let Beanstox and the market do the work for you.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and financially bright New Year!
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Disclosures:
1. Source YCharts. US Stocks represented by S&P 500 Total Return Index.
2. Source YCharts.
3. Source YCharts. S&P 500 Total Return Index. Visual Capitalist, Journal of Financial Markets, Slickcharts. The year 1868 has insufficient data to estimate a total annual return.
“Different indexes and data collection methods are used over the stated timeframe. From 1825-1925, numbers come from researchers at Yale University and Pennsylvania State University. They collected price and dividend data for almost all stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange during its early history. From 1926-1956, returns are from the S&P 90, the S&P 500’s predecessor. Finally, from 1957 to date, returns are based on the S&P 500.”
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