10. Sticking With It

10. Sticking With It

"People's lives are forever controlled by two emotions: fear and greed" Robert T. Kiyosaki

Even though this guide has just set you up for success, you must follow it to become a multi-millionaire. Below are some common ways you may mess up, so pay attention.

Pulling out of your investing strategy? Think again.

First, it's important to realize that every type of investing comes with risks. In general, the higher the returns on your investments, the higher the risks.

Your investment accounts on M1 Finance will go down. In some years, they can drop by as much as 40%. It is important that you do not pull out and hold strong when this happens.

As a case in point, let's again look at what would have happened to John had he started investing from @October 12, 2015 until @October 12, 2020, using M1 Finance’s "2060 Aggressive" option:

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Over five years, John would have made over 48% return on his money! That means that if he had invested $100 five years ago, he would have about $148 dollars today.

But take a closer look at John's worst investing year, specifically 2020:

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Between @February 23, 2020, and @March 23, 2020, John's would be $100 turned into $72.18. That's a decrease of 32.3% in just one month! If John had invested $1,000 dollars, he would have "lost" $323. If he had invested, say, $100,000 dollars, then he would have "lost" $32,200!

The word "lost" is in quotation marks because John didn't lose any money at all. If you look at the rest of 2020 until @October 4, 2020, John's investment account is up 6.98%, quite a nice sum if he had invested $100,000 five years ago.

In the last 144 years, the stock market has had as many as 47 recessions [1] and will continue to have them as long as humans are humans.

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A recession is "a period of [terrible] economic performance across an entire economy that lasts for several months" [1].

The image below highlights every single recession in the S&P 500—a common benchmark of the economy—since its inception:

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Did you notice the trend? After every single recession, the economy has always recovered. Remember this key idea when your investment accounts go negative—which will happen!

Recessions and/or economic downturns happen (on average) every ten years [1]. That means you will go through about eight or more recessions during your lifetime. Do not fear them. They are to be expected and appear to be a natural part of the economic lifecycle.

The recent COVID-19 induced economic downturn is one such example of many. Between January 31, 2020 (the beginning of the COVID-19 economic downturn) and March 31, 2020 (the end of the COVID-19 economic downturn), John's savings accounts would have dropped 32.2%.

But just four months later, John's savings accounts rocketed past his previous "Final Balance" and would be—as of @October 12, 2020—worth $148. This vast increase is only because he did not sell and kept with his chosen investing strategy.

Let's go back to that previous image for a bit and take a closer look at John's recovery after the COVID-19 economic downturn:

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At its lowest point, John's investment account was worth $72.18, but as of October 12, 2020, it was worth $106.98! Because of the economic downturn, John's automatic investing strategy made him ~38.8% richer than if he had sold out at the bottom of the downturn.

Therefore, rejoice when you see a negative return in your savings account(s) for a year! You will make even more money because of it. Instead of the usual dilemma that most stock market investors face about buying and selling, using a tactic of automatic investing allows John and you to get rid of the worrying noise and invest when the market goes down, sell when the market goes up, and profit all along the way.

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The TLDR of this entire section is to, under no circumstances, take out your money when the market crashes—except in retirement. Your automatic investing strategy ensures you profit regardless of the market conditions.

Looking to take out another loan? Be prepared.

This is the third time I've reminded you that debt is the only reason poor people never become millionaires [1]. Avoid it like the plague.

Should you be looking to take out a loan for a car, a home, or anything else, Make sure that you are prepared to pay the interest on it. As an aside, the "How To Pick A House" guide will be written soon. If you'd like to be updated when it gets published, make sure you are signed up for the newsletter.

Unable to keep automatically investing? Deal with it.

The main reason people fail to keep regularly investing in their savings accounts is poor budgeting. If you are struggling with it, check the Getting more moneyGetting more money page for some tips and tricks.

The worst thing that can happen if you don't regularly invest in your savings account is not becoming a millionaire. The responsibility is on you to get there.

Thinking about trying to time the market? Don't.

Timing the market is when investors attempt to enter and/or exit the stock market at a favorable time. Many try timing economic downturns—a dip in the overall economy—to buy their preferred stock options at low prices.

While the economic market moves in cycles and eventually dips down, no one knows exactly when that will happen—that includes you as well.

As an example, let's say that John refrained from investing in the stock market on @October 12, 2015 because he thought that another economic downturn would soon occur. If he waited just another year to start investing on @October 12, 2016, he would have lost 12% of his potential gains overall!

It does not matter if you are buying at an all-time high because the earlier you start investing, the earlier your money will compound. And as you already know quite well, compounding your money is the secret sauce to your success.

After you become a multi-millionaire

Once you've made as much money as you want, check out the Passive IncomePassive Income page to see how you'll live financially independent.

9. Automatic Investing9. Automatic Investing The Final ChecklistThe Final Checklist