✨ Featured Lessons · Lesson 36 of 54 · 60 sec

Missing the 10 Best Days

⏱️ People who panic-sell in a crash always say they'll 'get back in once things calm down.' The cruel catch: the market's best days have a habit of showing up right next to its worst ones.

💡 Key idea

Missing just the ~10 best days over 20 years can halve your returns — and those days cluster near the crashes you'd be hiding from.

🧠 Why it matters

Decades of data show that if you miss just the 10 BEST days in the market over a 20-year span, your total return can get cut roughly in half. And those best days cluster right around the scary crashes — exactly when nervous people are sitting in cash. This is why 'time IN the market beats timing the market' isn't a slogan, it's the data.

🌍 In the real world

💡 In many 20-year studies, staying fully invested vastly outperforms a portfolio that missed only the 10 single best days — because a huge share of all gains come from a handful of explosive days, and they tend to land right after the worst ones.

📌 Takeaways

A few best days drive a huge share of returns
Missing ~10 over 20 years can halve your gains
Best days cluster near crashes — staying in beats jumping out

✅ Test yourself

What happens if you miss just the ~10 best days over 20 years?

Nothing much
Your returns can be cut roughly in half
You earn more
Your taxes drop

Answer: B · Your returns can be cut roughly in half

A handful of explosive days drive much of the total return — miss them and your gains collapse.

Why is panic-selling in a crash so costly?

Trading fees
The best rebound days cluster right after the worst ones — and you'd miss them
It isn't costly
Dividends stop

Answer: B · The best rebound days cluster right after the worst ones — and you'd miss them

The biggest up days often come right after the scary drops, so sitting in cash means missing the recovery.

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