Investing For The Long-Term

This is a bit off the topic at hand, but worth mentioning to remind ourselves that we are investing for the long-term.  My investment accounts dropped about $6,000 in value over the last two weeks.  The last several months have been very good, but positive runs don't last.  We must take advantage of the "low" times by buying more.  The longer your investing time horizon, the greater chance you have to achieve good gains.  It's not unrealistic to target a 10% return on your investments over the long-haul.

Below is an example of the highs and lows for stock equities over different periods of time...

One Year Period - Low = -35%, High = +54%

Five Year Period - Low = -7.5%, High = +28.6%

Ten Year Period - Low = +1.2%, High = +20.1%

Fifteen Year Period - Low = +4.3%, High = +18.9%

Twenty Year Period - Low = +6.5%, High = +17.9%

Continue to Dollar Cost Average over the long-term and this will allow you to buy more shares when the cost falls during the low times.  Another viable option to consider is Value Averaging.