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This video is good, it shows how you are more likely to lose more money with cash than stocks over longer periods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeob9z27-gA

This video is good, it shows how you are more likely to lose more money with cash than stocks over longer periods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeob9z27-gA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeob9z27-gA

Dalewyn 3y ago
That's fine, investing will on average yield bigger returns (higher rewards) compared to saving. Nobody would invest if this wasn't the case. Investing in and of itself is a good thing. What you are all seemingly misunderstanding is that I am saying you should not invest money that you don't want or can't afford to lose. Yes, money deposited in savings might not (and probably will not) keep pace with inflation, but you are guaranteed that you will be able to always take out as much as you deposited. If you deposit $50,000.00 you will always be able to withdraw $50,000.00. Yes, inflation might have reduced the purchasing power of that money to $30,000.00 or whatever when it's withdrawn, but that is not the point: You can always withdraw the $50,000.00 that you deposited. Meanwhile, if your investments go south you lose money. If you invest $50,000.00 into stocks or crypto or whatever, you aren't guaranteed you can get back at least $50,000.00. It could be $100,000.00, it could be $10,000.00, or it could even be $0.00, but in any case you aren't guaranteed a floor of $50,000.00 in returns. You can (and will) both gain and lose money in investments. This is why I am saying people should not be using their savings (or even life savings?!) for investing. This is ostensibly money you do not want or cannot afford to lose, this is not money you should be spending on investments. Invest with money you are okay losing, otherwise you will regret it.
- ubercow13 3y ago
  In the UK normal employees are automatically enrolled to invest in their pension (life savings for retirement) and this will be at least partly in the stock market. It is normal and sensible. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you could lose your financial advisor's license for suggesting everyone keep their life savings as cash - it's such bad financial advice. If you keep your life savings as cash you are optimising for the 99th percentile of bad outcomes for the global economy, and losing out massively in every other likelihood. >it could even be $0.00 It is unlikely that the value of the S&P500 will be zero in our lifetimes. If it is, your 50,000 US dollars won't be worth much.
  - Dalewyn 3y ago
    It's normal and sensible to invest money you are okay with potentially never seeing again, yes. I don't think we are even disagreeing, just probably not on the same page what "savings" exactly is. I consider savings as monies that shouldn't "just" go away (like investments failing), monies that are expected to always be there for when their time comes. That sort of money should be handled with the worst case scenarios accounted for, you presumably depend on that money (either now or in the future) for your life. >It is unlikely that the value of the S&P500 will be zero in our lifetimes. If it is, your 50,000 US dollars won't be worth much. Never say never, the Great Depression was bad enough it took a second world war for everyone to get out of the funk.

Dalewyn 3y ago

That's fine, investing will on average yield bigger returns (higher rewards) compared to saving. Nobody would invest if this wasn't the case. Investing in and of itself is a good thing. What you are all seemingly misunderstanding is that I am saying you should not invest money that you don't want or can't afford to lose. Yes, money deposited in savings might not (and probably will not) keep pace with inflation, but you are guaranteed that you will be able to always take out as much as you deposited. If you deposit $50,000.00 you will always be able to withdraw $50,000.00. Yes, inflation might have reduced the purchasing power of that money to $30,000.00 or whatever when it's withdrawn, but that is not the point: You can always withdraw the $50,000.00 that you deposited. Meanwhile, if your investments go south you lose money. If you invest $50,000.00 into stocks or crypto or whatever, you aren't guaranteed you can get back at least $50,000.00. It could be $100,000.00, it could be $10,000.00, or it could even be $0.00, but in any case you aren't guaranteed a floor of $50,000.00 in returns. You can (and will) both gain and lose money in investments. This is why I am saying people should not be using their savings (or even life savings?!) for investing. This is ostensibly money you do not want or cannot afford to lose, this is not money you should be spending on investments. Invest with money you are okay losing, otherwise you will regret it.

ubercow13 3y ago
In the UK normal employees are automatically enrolled to invest in their pension (life savings for retirement) and this will be at least partly in the stock market. It is normal and sensible. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you could lose your financial advisor's license for suggesting everyone keep their life savings as cash - it's such bad financial advice. If you keep your life savings as cash you are optimising for the 99th percentile of bad outcomes for the global economy, and losing out massively in every other likelihood. >it could even be $0.00 It is unlikely that the value of the S&P500 will be zero in our lifetimes. If it is, your 50,000 US dollars won't be worth much.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  It's normal and sensible to invest money you are okay with potentially never seeing again, yes. I don't think we are even disagreeing, just probably not on the same page what "savings" exactly is. I consider savings as monies that shouldn't "just" go away (like investments failing), monies that are expected to always be there for when their time comes. That sort of money should be handled with the worst case scenarios accounted for, you presumably depend on that money (either now or in the future) for your life. >It is unlikely that the value of the S&P500 will be zero in our lifetimes. If it is, your 50,000 US dollars won't be worth much. Never say never, the Great Depression was bad enough it took a second world war for everyone to get out of the funk.