Help clients understand the power of long-term investing

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Key takeaways

• Visually illustrate the long-term benefits of investing versus holding cash.

• Show clients how time in the market matters more than trying to time investments.

• Reinforce the importance of staying invested and participating in market recoveries.

   

Help clients understand the importance of investing 

Is now a good time to invest?

Many clients worry about the timing of their investments – even when the historical evidence suggests otherwise.

Download our Unlucky Jim explainer to help clients understand the importance of putting their funds to work over the long term, with even the worst market timing delivering significant gains relative to cash.

The analysis tells the story of Jim, the ‘unluckiest investor’ – someone who invested right before every major market downturn over the past 30 years. Despite his consistently unfortunate timing, Unlucky Jim grew his total contributions of £45,000 into £212,250 by 31 May 2026 – a return of 372%.

If Jim had kept his money in a cash savings account instead? He would have only earned £64,584.

_{NOTES: 
Bloomberg® and Bloomberg Indexes mentioned herein are service marks of Bloomberg Finance LP and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by Vanguard. Bloomberg is not affiliated with Vanguard, and Bloomberg does not approve, endorse, review, or recommend the Financial Products included in this document. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accurateness, or completeness of any data or information related to the Financial Products included in this document.}

_{The opinions expressed are as of the date of this article and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The article may contain ’forward looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. The content and opinions expressed in this article reflect the views of the author, which may differ from those of Vanguard, its subsidiaries, and affiliates.}