One question I frequently get is why the overall stock market tends to go up over the longer term. Well, the simplest way for me to explain this is demand exceeds supply for much of the time – that is, the only way for the overall stock market to trend higher over time is for demand to continually outpace supply, causing share price increases. The opposite can happen from time-to-time for shorter periods of time but – over the longer-term -demand exceeds supply for much of the time.

Demand can be created by several factors including population growth, increased participation in the stock market (something that continues to grow over time with increased access, tools, knowledge, etc.), a sense of optimism towards the economy and the future, excitement generated by upward trends and the successes of others, continual innovation, earnings growth, economic growth, and other factors. So, as long as these factors and trends continue, then it is probably a good bet that the overall stock market will continue advancing over the longer-term. I frequently use various averages, indicators, and such to help determine periodic buy or sell points – you can read about some of them here: 1) for the buy side (scroll down to item 4 in the post): https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/, and 2) for the sell side (scroll down to item 2 in the post): https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-selling-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

So, as a whole, the overall stock market tends to go up over the longer-term which means most investors will do much better by buying and remaining invested in the stock market rather than being sellers in the stock market except on the rarest of occasions. The primary exception to this would be for those who are approaching their financial goals of which taking a lower risk, more cautious approach would be warranted.

Please understand that declines in the stock market do happen on a periodic basis and some last longer than others. However, the stock market remains undefeated over the longer term and that is likely to continue.

For example, as you can see from the following post, even when stock markets go down substantially, their gains tend to far exceed their losses. This is another reason why staying invested even during stock market downturns can greatly benefit investors who tend to ride out the ups and downs: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-simple-math-showing-the-stock-markets-asymmetric-upside-143129927.html.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing. So, use any downtime you might have to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and…/).

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities.

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

The stock market is within a couple percentage points from its all-time high after a 20% gain. Those of you who executed my Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort did very well for themselves: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

For those who asked to be on my list, I ended up sending out 7 different executions of this strategy. You can read about those by scrolling down from here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/category/financial-planning-management-and-investing-related-posts/.

It will probably be a while before this strategy gets executed again because a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year, a 10% drop generally happens about once every two years, and a 20%+ drop generally happens once every five years on average. However, if you would like me to add you to the list of people to contact, then let me know so you can hopefully capitalize on the stock market decline the next time. I’ve provided the 5 different risk categories I presently use at the bottom of this post.

Happy investing everyone!

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.

For those who wanted to follow along, the S&P 500 index as of the market close today has fallen within 1% of the threshold for the 7th execution of my refined, structured Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

This post is for all investors whether in higher or lower risk categories (if you aren’t sure what your investment risk category is, scroll down to the bottom of this post). As of today’s close, the S&P 500 index dropped about 19% from its all-time high (a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year, a 10% drop generally happens about once every two years, and a 20%+ drop generally happens once every five years on average). So, if it drops to anywhere near or below 490 for the SPY ETF or 4915 for the S&P 500 index over the next couple of days or so (whichever you prefer to track – the drop doesn’t have to be very precise – it’s only about a 1% drop from today’s closing price), you might consider buying:

a. Very High Risk (VHR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

b. High Risk (HR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

c. Medium Risk (MR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Low Risk (LR) Investors might consider buying up to 55% of their overall investment account (or up to 55% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Very Low Risk (VLR) Investors might consider buying up to 25% of their overall investment account (or up to 25% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

The drop in the overall S&P 500 index could continue, but the longer and the deeper the drop you wait for, the greater the likelihood you’ll miss the rebound. So, you might want to get ready to buy. It’s your financial future so do what you think is best for you.

I currently track five major market index ETFs: S&P 500 index (e.g., SPY ETF), the Nasdaq (e.g., QQQ ETF), a Mid-Cap Stock Index ETF (e.g., IJH ETF), Russell 2000 index (e.g., IWM ETF), and the EFA ETF (or something similar). The first four are major US-based indexes, while the last one tracks international stocks of developed countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Of the above five major market index ETFs, the most attractive right now appears to be: IWM based on my analysis – which tracks the Russell 2000 index (I actually prefer the SPSM which is similar to IWM but only includes the profitable small businesses contained in the Russell 2000 index). As of today’s close, the IWM dropped 28% and the calculated EIRY is the highest among the highest across the 4 U.S. index ETFs I track – at 8.17%. The IWM is not without risk, however. In a slowing economy, the IWM tends to drop the fastest and the deepest but usually rebounds sharply at some point. So, if you are very concerned about a potential slowing economy, then you might want to choose a different index to invest in or split your investment across different indexes. The next best index ETF overall is the IJH ETF. However, every index has fallen so much you can pick any major index you are comfortable with at this point if you prefer or perhaps just split your investment across multiple indexes.

Feel free to start buying in one or more of the aforementioned major market index ETFs if the S&P 500 remains close to where it closed at today or drops a little more below that level – you might even want to buy in the after-hours market today if you like. You can use the specific major market indexes above or use a different one that is suits you. Just ensure the fees are at least as low as the ones identified above when buying.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2025 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.

For those who wanted to follow along, this will be the 6th execution of my refined, structured Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/. The markets have fallen so deep and so fast that I’ve had a difficult time keeping up. I sent out my 5th execution of this strategy earlier today only to find that by the market close the next threshold had been reached which is why I am now posting the 6th execution of this strategy.

This post is for all investors whether in higher or lower risk categories (if you aren’t sure what your investment risk category is, scroll down to the bottom of this post). As of today’s close, the S&P 500 index dropped about 17.5% from its all-time high (a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year, a 10% drop generally happens about once every two years, and a 20%+ drop generally happens once every five years on average). So, if it remains anywhere near or below 506 for the SPY ETF or 5069 for the S&P 500 index over the next couple of days or so (whichever you prefer to track – the drop doesn’t have to be very precise), you might consider buying:

a. Very High Risk (VHR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

b. High Risk (HR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

c. Medium Risk (MR) Investors might consider buying up to 80% of their overall investment account (or up to 80% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Low Risk (LR) Investors might consider buying up to 40% of their overall investment account (or up to 40% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Very Low Risk (VLR) Investors might consider buying up to 17.5% of their overall investment account (or up to 17.5% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

The drop in the overall S&P 500 index could continue, but the longer and the deeper the drop you wait for, the greater the likelihood you’ll miss the rebound. So, you might want to get ready to buy. It’s your financial future so do what you think is best for you.

I currently track five major market index ETFs: S&P 500 index (e.g., SPY ETF), the Nasdaq (e.g., QQQ ETF), a Mid-Cap Stock Index ETF (e.g., IJH ETF), Russell 2000 index (e.g., IWM ETF), and the EFA ETF (or something similar). The first four are major US-based indexes, while the last one tracks international stocks of developed countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Of the above five major market index ETFs, the most attractive right now appears to be: IWM based on my analysis – which tracks the Russell 2000 index (I actually prefer the SPSM which is similar to IWM but only includes the profitable small businesses contained in the Russell 2000 index). As of today’s close, the IWM dropped 25% and the calculated EIRY is the highest among the highest across the 4 U.S. index ETFs I track – at 7.92%. The IWM is not without risk, however. In a slowing economy, the IWM tends to drop the fastest and the deepest but usually rebounds sharply at some point. So, if you are very concerned about a potential slowing economy, then you might want to choose a different index to invest in or split your investment across different indexes. The next best index ETF overall is the IJH ETF. However, every index has fallen so much you can pick any major index you are comfortable with at this point.

Feel free to start buying in one or more of the aforementioned major market index ETFs if the S&P 500 remains close to where it closed at today – you might even want to buy in the after-hours market today if you like. You can use the specific major market indexes above or use a different one that is suits you. Just ensure the fees are at least as low as the ones identified above when buying.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2025 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.

For those who wanted to follow along, this will be the 5th execution of my refined, structured Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

This post is for all investors whether in higher or lower risk categories (if you aren’t sure what your investment risk category is, scroll down to the bottom of this post). As of today’s low, the S&P 500 index dropped over 16% from its all-time high (a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year, a 10% drop generally happens about once every two years, and a 20%+ drop generally happens once every five years on average). So if it remains anywhere near or below 521 for the SPY ETF or 5225 for the S&P 500 index (whichever you prefer to track – the drop doesn’t have to be very precise), you might consider buying:

a. Very High Risk (VHR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

b. High Risk (HR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

c. Medium Risk (MR) Investors might consider buying up to 60% of their overall investment account (or up to 60% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Low Risk (LR) Investors might consider buying up to 30% of their overall investment account (or up to 30% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Very Low Risk (VLR) Investors might consider buying up to 10% of their overall investment account (or up to 10% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

The drop in the overall S&P 500 index could continue, but the longer and the deeper the drop you wait for, the greater the likelihood you’ll miss the rebound. So, you might want to get ready to buy. It’s your financial future so do what you think is best for you.

I currently track five major market index ETFs: S&P 500 index (e.g., SPY ETF), the Nasdaq (e.g., QQQ ETF), a Mid-Cap Stock Index ETF (e.g., IJH ETF), Russell 2000 index (e.g., IWM ETF), and the EFA ETF (or something similar). The first four are major US-based indexes, while the last one tracks international stocks of developed countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Of the above five major market index ETFs, the most attractive right now appears to be: IWM based on my analysis – which tracks the Russell 2000 index (I actually prefer the SPSM which is similar to IWM but only includes the profitable small businesses contained in the Russell 2000 index). As of today’s low, the IWM dropped 27% and the calculated EIRY is the highest among the highest across the 4 U.S. index ETFs I track – at 7.99%. The IWM is not without risk, however. In a slowing economy, the IWM tends to drop the fastest and the deepest but usually rebounds sharply at some point. So, if you are very concerned about a potential slowing economy, then you might want to choose a different index to invest in or split your investment across different indexes. The next best index ETF overall is the IJH ETF.

Feel free to start buying in one or more of the aforementioned major market index ETFs if the S&P 500 continues to fall. You can use the ones specifically above or use a different one that is similar. Just ensure the fees are at least as low as the ones identified above when buying.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2025 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.

For those who wanted to follow along, this will be the 4th execution of my refined, structured Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

This post is for all investors whether in higher or lower risk categories (if you aren’t sure what your investment risk category is, scroll down to the bottom of this post). As of today’s low, the S&P 500 index dropped about 12% from its all-time high (a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year, a 10% drop generally happens about once every two years, and a 20%+ drop generally happens once every five years on average). If it falls anywhere in the vicinity of 536 for the SPY ETF or 5376 for the S&P 500 index (whichever you prefer to track – the drop doesn’t have to be very precise), you might consider buying:

a. Very High Risk (VHR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

b. High Risk (HR) Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

c. Medium Risk (MR) Investors might consider buying up to 45% of their overall investment account (or up to 45% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Low Risk (LR) Investors might consider buying up to 20% of their overall investment account (or up to 20% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

d. Very Low Risk (VLR) Investors might consider buying up to 5% of their overall investment account (or up to 5% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

The drop in the overall S&P 500 index could continue, but the longer and the deeper the drop you wait for, the greater the likelihood you’ll miss the rebound. So, you might want to get ready to buy. It’s your financial future so do what you think is best for you.

I currently track five major market index ETFs: S&P 500 index (e.g., SPY ETF), the Nasdaq (e.g., QQQ ETF), a Mid-Cap Stock Index ETF (e.g., IJH ETF), Russell 2000 index (e.g., IWM ETF), and the EFA ETF (or something similar). The first four are major US-based indexes, while the last one tracks international stocks of developed countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Of the above five major market index ETFs, the most attractive right now appears to be: IWM based on my analysis – which tracks the Russell 2000 index (I actually prefer the SPSM which is similar to IWM but only includes the profitable small businesses contained in the Russell 2000 index). As of today’s low, the IWM dropped 22% and the calculated EIRY is the highest among the highest across the 4 U.S. index ETFs I track – at 7.75%. The IWM is not without risk, however. In a slowing economy, the IWM tends to drop the fastest and the deepest but usually rebounds sharply at some point. So, if you are very concerned about a potential slowing economy, then you might want to choose a different index to invest in or split your investment across different indexes. The next best index ETF overall is the IJH ETF.

Feel free to start buying in one or more of the aforementioned major market index ETFs if the S&P 500 continues to fall. You can use the ones specifically above or use a different one that is similar. Just ensure the fees are at least as low as the ones identified above when buying.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2025 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.

For those who wanted to follow along, this will be the 3rd execution of my refined, structured Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

If you are a Very High Risk (VHR), High Risk (HR), Medium Risk (MR), or Low Risk (LR), investor, this post is for you – Very Low Risk (VLR) investors can wait and do nothing if you want. If you aren’t sure what your investment risk category is, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

VHR/HR/MR/LR Investors: As of today’s close, the S&P 500 index dropped about 8.6% from its all-time high (a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year and 10% drop generally happens about once every two years) – so if it continues falling to around 551.5 for the SPY ETF or 5529 for the S&P 500 index (whichever you prefer to track – the drop doesn’t have to be very precise), you might consider buying:

a. VHR Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

b. HR Investors might consider buying up to 66.7% of their overall investment account (or up to 66.7% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

c. MR Investors might consider buying up to 30% of their overall investment account (or up to 30% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer). I forgot to include MR investors in my previous post during the 2nd execution of this strategy which I will update shortly – so MR investors should probably immediately buy 15% of their overall investment account (or up to 15% of the cash available to invest) and buy the remaining 15% if the S&P 500 index falls further.

d. LR Investors might consider buying up to 10% of their overall investment account (or up to 10% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

I anticipate there could be an even more substantial decline in the overall S&P 500 index, but I could be wrong – and the longer and the deeper the drop you wait for, the greater the likelihood you’ll miss the rebound. So, investors in the above risk categories might want to get ready to buy – VLR investors might be more inclined to take their chances by waiting for a deeper drop. It’s your financial future so do what you think is best for you.

I currently track five major market index ETFs: S&P 500 index (e.g., SPY ETF), the Nasdaq (e.g., QQQ ETF), a Mid-Cap Stock Index ETF (e.g., IJH ETF), Russell 2000 index (e.g., IWM ETF), and the EFA ETF (or something similar). The first four are major US-based indexes, while the last one tracks international stocks of developed countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Of the above five major market index ETFs, the most attractive right now appears to be: IWM based on my analysis – which tracks the Russell 2000 index (I actually prefer the SPSM which is similar to IWM but only includes the profitable small businesses contained in the Russell 2000 index). As of today’s close, the IWM dropped 17.2% and the calculated EIRY is the highest among the highest across the 4 U.S. index ETFs I track – at 7.42%. The IWM is not without risk, however. In a slowing economy, the IWM tends to drop the fastest and the deepest but usually rebounds sharply at some point. So, if you are very concerned about a potential slowing economy, then you might want to choose a different index to invest in or split your investment across different indexes. The next best index ETF overall is the IJH ETF.

Feel free to start buying in one or more of the aforementioned major market index ETFs if the S&P 500 continues to fall and you are a VHR, HR, MR, or LR, investor. You can use the ones specifically above or use a different one that is similar. Just ensure the fees are at least as low as the ones identified above when buying.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2025 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.

For those who wanted to follow along, this will be the second execution of my refined, structured Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

If you are a Very High Risk (VHR), High Risk (HR), or Medium Risk (MR) investor, this post is for you – investors of all other risk categories can wait and do nothing if you want. If you aren’t sure what your investment risk category is, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

VHR/HR/MR Investors: As of today’s low earlier today, the S&P 500 index dropped about 6.4% from its all-time high (a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year and 10% drop generally happens about once every two years) – so if it continues falling to around 567 for the SPY ETF or 5683 for the S&P 500 index (whichever you prefer to track – the drop doesn’t have to be very precise), you might consider buying:

a. VHR Investors might consider buying up to 100% of their overall investment account (or up to 100% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

b. HR Investors might consider buying up to 33.3% of their overall investment account (or up to 33.3% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

c. MR Investors might consider buying up to 15% of their overall investment account (or up to 15% of the cash available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer).

I anticipate there could be an even more substantial decline in the overall S&P 500 index, but I could be wrong – and the longer and the deeper the drop you wait for, the greater the likelihood you’ll miss the rebound. So, VHR and HR investors might want to get ready to buy – other investors might be more inclined to take their chances by waiting for a deeper drop. It’s your financial future so do what you think is best for you.

I currently track five major market index ETFs: S&P 500 index (e.g., SPY ETF), the Nasdaq (e.g., QQQ ETF), a Mid-Cap Stock Index ETF (e.g., IJH ETF), Russell 2000 index (e.g., IWM ETF), and the EFA ETF (or something similar). The first four are major US-based indexes, while the last one tracks international stocks of developed countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Of the above five major market index ETFs, the most attractive right now appears to be: IWM based on my analysis – which tracks the Russell 2000 index (I actually prefer the SPSM which is similar to IWM but only includes the profitable small businesses contained in the Russell 2000 index). As of today’s low, the IWM dropped 16.2% and the calculated EIRY is the highest across the 4 U.S. index ETFs I track – at 7.25%. The IWM is not without risk, however. In a slowing economy, the IWM tends to drop the fastest and the deepest but usually rebounds sharply at some point. So, if you are very concerned about a potential slowing economy, then you might want to choose a different index to invest in or split your investment across different indexes.

Feel free to start buying in one or more of the aforementioned major market index ETFs if the S&P 500 continues to fall and you are a VHR, HR, or MR investor. You can use the ones specifically above or use a different one that is similar. Just ensure the fees are at least as low as the ones identified above when buying.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2025 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.

For those who wanted to follow along, this will be the first execution of my refined, structured Market-Based Buying Strategy for investing well with minimal effort: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/a-structured-market-based-buying-strategy-for-investing-well-with-minimal-effort/.

If you are a Very High Risk (VHR) investor, this post is for you – investors of all other risk categories can wait and do nothing if you want. If you aren’t sure what your investment risk category is, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

VHR Investors: The S&P 500 index has dropped about 4.6% from its all-time high (a 3-5% drop in the S&P 500 index generally happens about three times a year) – so if it remains at its present level (~583 for the SPY ETF or ~5862 for the S&P 500 index – whichever you prefer to track) or drops further, you might consider buying up to 50% of your overall investment account (or up to 50% of the cash you have available to invest) into one of the major market index Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) (or you can split that across multiple major market indexes if you prefer). I anticipate there will be a more substantial decline in the overall S&P 500 index, but I could be wrong – and the longer and the deeper the drop you wait for, the greater the likelihood you’ll miss the rebound. So, VHR investors might want to go ahead and buy – other investors might be more inclined to take their chances by waiting for a deeper drop. It’s your financial future so do what you think is best for you.

I currently track five major market index ETFs: S&P 500 index (e.g., SPY ETF), the Nasdaq (e.g., QQQ ETF), a Mid-Cap Stock Index ETF (e.g., IJH ETF), Russell 2000 index (e.g., IWM ETF), and the EFA ETF (or something similar). The first four are major US-based indexes, while the last one tracks international stocks of developed countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Of the above five major market index ETFs, the most attractive right now appears to be: EFA based on my analysis (it has fallen only 3.6% from its all-time high though so it hasn’t fallen by much – and the calculated EIRY (8.84%) is the highest across the 5 indexes I track. This is primarily due to the 3.09% dividend which is much higher than the other indexes). However, the EFA (or IEFA which is the one I like since the fees are lower) has currency exchange risk since it is not US-based, can be impacted by the current administration’s trade policy, and this index ETF has tended to lag the U.S. market indexes in recent years. So, there is risk although it looks attractive in my present opinion. If you prefer investing in a US-based index ETF, or prefer to split your investment between the EFA/IEFA and these other index ETFs, the most attractive US-based index ETF right now appears to be: IWM which tracks the Russell 2000 index (I actually prefer the SPSM which is similar but only includes the profitable small businesses contained in the Russell 2000 index). The IWM has dropped 12.4% and the calculated EIRY is the highest across the 4 U.S. index ETFs I track – at 7.1%.

IMPORTANT 28 FEB UPDATE: I updated my formulas to place much more weight on the percentage drop and combining that with the EIRY. Based on making this change the IWM ETF (or the SPSM which is my preference) is the best option overall – not the EFA ETF.

So, feel free to start buying in one or more of the aforementioned major market index ETFs if you are a VHR investor. You can use the ones specifically above or use a different one that is similar. Just ensure the fees are at least as low as the ones identified above when buying.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/.

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities

I wish you much investing success for 2025 (and beyond!).

selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #success #finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #bonds #bondmarket

==== INVESTMENT RISK CATEGORIES ====

Important Note: When adding up what you have across your investment accounts, I recommend making the following adjustment for pre-tax type investment accounts (e.g., 401Ks and IRAs without the word “Roth” attached): reduce the total amount by 24% for a conservative overall estimate. We have to pay taxes when withdrawing from these kinds of accounts so this will help to account for that. Feel free to use a different percentage reduction depending on what tax bracket you believe you will fall into when withdrawing money from these accounts.

VERY HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is 8+ times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k or less in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very high-risk investor.

HIGH-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 4-8 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $250k-$500k in total across your investment accounts then you would be a high-risk investor.

MEDIUM-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 2-4 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $500k-$1M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a medium-risk investor.

LOW-RISK INVESTOR (your investment goal is roughly 1-2 times what you presently have in total across your investment accounts – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $1M-$2M in total across your investment accounts then you would be a low-risk investor.

VERY LOW-RISK INVESTOR (what you presently have in total across your investment accounts equals or exceeds your investment goal – after making adjustments in accordance with the note above). For example, if your investment goal is $2M and you presently have $2M or more in total across your investment accounts then you would be a very low-risk investor.