Investors often wonder where their money went when stocks plummet. Stock price shifts are more about changing perceptions of value rather than money physically moving from one place to another. So in truth, it doesn't vanish—instead, the investment's perceived value changes.
It's important to remember that you technically don't lose any money during a stock market crash. The only people who actually lose money are the ones who sell their investments after a crash.
No single entity owns 90% of the stock market, but the wealthiest Americans own the vast majority of it, with the top 10% holding around 90-93% of U.S. stocks, while the bottom 50% own only about 1%, according to Federal Reserve data analysis from early 2024. This concentration of ownership is primarily held by high-net-worth individuals and their investment vehicles, not one owner.
You may want to shift some money into safer options like bonds or fixed income investments. Market storms can offer buying opportunities too. Stocks tend to drop during downturns—this creates discount prices for long-term investors.
Savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, and CDs are examples of federally insured bank accounts. Up to $250,000 is secure in individual bank accounts, and $250,000 is protected per owner in joint bank accounts. Brokerage accounts usually aren't insured by the NCUA or FDIC.
Investing $1,000 a month for 30 years means you contribute $360,000 total, but with compounding returns, the final amount varies significantly by average annual return, potentially growing to over $1 million at 8% and reaching around $2 million or more at a 10% average return, illustrating the power of long-term, consistent investing.
The S&P 500 took almost six years to fully recover from the crashes of 2000 (the dot-com bubble) and 2008 (the global financial crisis). The S&P/TSX experienced similar timelines when recovering from those two crashes in the 2000s. Such long recovery periods for market crashes aren't always the norm, however.
Here are the most effective ways to earn money and turn that 10K into 100K before you know it.
Then - to answer the question the best asset class to hold tends to be blue chip dividend stocks. Your most valuable asset in case of a market crash will be your property, any vehicles you own, your savings and checking accounts as these are all protected by the FDIC.
The 3-5-7 rule in stock trading is a risk management guideline: risk no more than 3% of capital on a single trade, keep total exposure to a maximum of 5% across all open positions, and aim for profit targets that are at least 7% of your risk (a 7:1 reward-to-risk ratio). It's designed to protect capital, encourage discipline, and ensure long-term profitability by preventing large drawdowns and focusing on consistent, controlled gains, making it popular for beginners.
A $1,000 investment in Coca-Cola 30 years ago would have grown to around $9,030 today. KO data by YCharts. This is primarily not because of the stock, which would be worth around $4,270. The remaining $4,760 comes from cumulative dividend payments over the last 30 years.
A 24-year-old stock trader who made over $8 million in 2 years shares the 4 indicators he uses as his guides to buy and sell. One of Jack Kellogg's main indicators is the volume-weighted average price (VWAP). This shows the average price paid for shares and helps him gauge sentiment.
NVIDIA is the largest company in the world, with a market cap of $4.56 trillion. NVIDIA is followed by Apple ($3.95 trillion), Alphabet ($3.83 trillion), Microsoft ($3.53 trillion), and Amazon ($2.49 trillion).
If you invest $100 a month for 30 years, you could have anywhere from around $97,000 to over $240,000, depending on the average annual rate of return, with higher returns (like 10% vs. 6%) leading to significantly more wealth due to the power of compound interest, with total contributions reaching $36,000. For example, a 6% return yields about $98,000, while a 10% average return (closer to historical stock market averages) could grow to over $240,000 over three decades.
Is a stock market crash coming in 2026? The short answer is that it's impossible to say, even for the experts. That said, some stock market indicators suggest that the market may be overvalued.
If you had invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 10 years ago, you'd have nearly $3,677 today. That's not a flashy overnight win, but it's the kind of steady growth that builds real wealth over time.
The 7% rule refers to a stop-loss strategy commonly used in position or swing trading. According to this rule, if a stock falls 7–8% below your purchase price, you should sell it immediately—no exceptions.
So if you're wondering where your money actually belongs when the economy slows, here's where to focus -- and why.
The 10-5-3 rule is a simple guideline for long-term investment returns, suggesting 10% for equities (stocks), 5% for debt (bonds/fixed income), and 3% for cash (savings accounts), helping investors set realistic expectations and balance risk across asset classes. It's based on historical averages, not guarantees, encouraging diversification by mixing growth (equity) with stability (debt and cash) for wealth creation, but actual returns vary greatly with market conditions.
The 27.40 rule is a simple personal finance strategy for saving $10,000 in one year by setting aside $27.40 every single day, which totals $10,001 annually ($27.40 x 365). It works by making a large goal feel manageable through consistent, small daily actions, encouraging discipline, and can be automated through bank transfers, with the savings potentially growing with interest in a high-yield account.
If you only have $100,000, it is not likely you will be able to live off interest by itself. Even with a well-diversified portfolio and minimal living expenses, this amount is not high enough to provide for most people.
If you wanted to earn an average $3,000 per month, you would need to invest $1.6 million ($36,000 divided by 2.2%). While there is nothing wrong with passive investing, most investors are likely to do much better if they build their own investment portfolio.
His administration continued the banking bailout and auto industry rescue begun by the previous administration and immediately enacted an $800 billion stimulus program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which included a blend of additional spending and tax cuts.
The Great Crash of 1929.
Offhand, a lot of people "predicted" the 2008 bubble. Robert Shiller, Dean Baker, Bill McBride, and many others I'm forgetting. Even people like Alan Greenspan made speeches noting that home prices were elevated and that debt levels were concerning. predicting the timing is important.