15 Essential Charts for Every Investor
January 8, 2026
3 min read
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk”
– Mark Zuckerberg
On average, your capital on the stock market doubles every 10 years.
The real return on equities (after inflation) has averaged 6.9% per year over the last 200+ years.
Chart 1: Asset Class Real Total Returns over 200 years
The point of no return begins at around –30%, i.e. the burden of negative performance begins to have an exponentially negative impact on your capital.
Try to avoid it.
Chart 2: The law of big numbers, the point of no return, starts at -30%
You make far more money by holding through bull markets that you lose by holding through bear markets.
Stay invested.
Chart 3: US bull and bear markets
There is always a good reason to sell.
The market climbs the wall of worry.
Chart 4: S&P 500 with many negative events since 2009
Politics and investments do not go together. Mid-Term elections are coming up in November 2026.
Do not worry about the outcome.
Chart 5: US stock market over the course of the US presidencies
In equities, the only constant is change.
Nothing is forever.
Chart 6: Share of largest sector in the US, in %
The market always follows a narrative.
Only 1 of the 10 market leaders will remain a winner in the next cycle.
Chart 7: Narrative of the top 10 companies by market capitalization
Investing when confidence is low, i.e. anti-cyclically in extreme times, has proven its worth.
Extreme sentiment is a good contrarian indicator.
Chart 8: CEO Business Confidence and S&P 500
If you invest, you can lose. If you do not invest, you have already lost. Because you choose the path to lose in the long term.
Today, the biggest risk is not taking any risk.
Chart 9: Purchasing Power of the US Dollar vs Inflation Adjusted US Total Returns
The easiest way to increase your odds of success is to increase your holding period.
Time in the market beats timing the market.
It smashes everything.
Chart 10: Total Real Market Returns and Holding Period, 1871 - 2022
The holy grail to investing is a lump sum and dollar-cost-averaging.
It has never been as easy and cost-effective as it is today.
Just get started!
Chart 11: The effect of compounding, EUR 5’000 invested annually with 5% p.a. returns
Volatility is the toll we pay to invest.
Accept it.
The market corrects:
- 3%, 7x times a year
- 5%, 3 times a year
- 10%, once a year
- 15%, every 2 years
- 20%, every 3.5 years
Chart 12: S&P 500 intra-year declines vs. calendar year returns
The financial market is a wealth creation machine.
At arvy, we do-it-together.
Chart 13: Total Returns of US equities, US Treasuries and a 60/40 Portfolio
And finally, a movie every investor and entrepreneur should watch (available on Netflix),
Want more? Here are our 12 favorite investment & finance movies of all time.
and…
Chart 14: The Big Short (2015) – Explaining the Financial Crisis Like Never Before
… a book every investor and entrepreneur should read.
Chart 15: The Richest Man In Babylon
