No they would not have had to wait 100 years. Makes for a spicy headline, but no one just throws a lump sum of money into the market once and hopes for the best

No they would not have had to wait 100 years. Makes for a spicy headline, but no one just throws a lump sum of money into the market once and hopes for the best. If you continue to invest regularly, your returns eventually cover your previous losses and your back to making profits sooner than later. Your portfolio balance over time is the only thing that matters, not the returns of individual investments. It’s why you shouldn’t be scared of a big crash. Do you plan to continue investing afterward? Yes? Then you’ll be fine.