This chart is a warning

[JT45242]

7. Looked it up...80 to 2025

Average was about 11.7 for the S&P, just under 9 percent inflation adjusted.

About the same DJIA.

Going back to 1970, was about 10 percent per year, 7-8 percent after inflation.

So, the rate is higher in general over this last bit. But, investment people told me early on in adulthood, if you use an index fund long term expect to gain 8ish percent over inflation on average. Plan so that you can live on five percent of your principal and you should likely never eat into the principal (assumes you don't burn $100k a year in a nursing home).

One of the few good things of rolling out of a teachers pension program into 403b was that when I die, the money becomes generational wealth to pass on to my kids. Of course, no pension based the health care is the big downside.

Not saying the stock market is any indication of the health of the economy, just noting that the return rate recently is higher than long term historical trends.