David Levine from NC posted over 10 years ago:

I would like to see a survey of AAII members and what their annual stock portfolio returns were for the past decade. Is all this great advice putting us ahead of or behind market returns or the past decade or two.

Robert Fisher from NY posted over 10 years ago:

My returns were probably about average for the past decade. The substance of my comments is about the future. Average in the future wil be rather low in my opinion--possibly as little as three or four percent but definitely not the seven or eight percent I think was average in the past. The reason is simple in my opinion. Economies are not really growing. I think there are numerous reasons for this but the main ones I believe are the following: 91)military spending which consumes a large portion of the wealth of many countries such as uS, China, Russia etc. (20 low population growth. Many countries are barely replacing their populations if that such as Japan. China is now allowing two children per couple but this new policy may take time to become popular and even that will not be quite enough to sustain current population levels. Countries need somewhat more than two children per couple on average. (3) Stupid government policies. These cover the gamut. Countries erecting tariff barriers or pulling out of large markets such as the EC. Refusing to invest in education of the right sorts. People might like degrees but economies need skills. Too many people graduating at high cost to taxpayers with degrees they cannot use in the market place creates unemployment, high personal debt that dampens consumption etc.. Poorly thought out and executed government handouts. These create various distortions including huge government debt levels that eat up revenues to pay bond holders, frequently foreign. And the list goes on. The solutions I think are not pretty but they are necessary. One I think we need to consider is never retire. If you have a profession that you really love, as I do, why quit at seventy? Why quit until you think you have nothing left to offer and realize you probably are going to die in a few weeks? May sound dismal but actually I think most people who want to enjoy their lives will want to work at something they love for as long as they think they can make a contribution doing it. Maybe as in the case of a professor my brother was well acquainted with, you are working at your research at the ripe old age of 105. Doesn't sound appetizing? Consider the alternative. Bored people get sick and that costs money and at you age recovery is more difficult and costly than when you were younger. Bored people get depressed and do not recognize that depression is itself an illness as well as the underlying factor in many other illnesses. Bored people stop doing exercise and become flabby and lose their mental sharpness. It is not easy to be really retired and have the discipline to do exercises and stay mentally sharp. I have seen many talented and successful people who, once retired, became difficult to live with, began to suffer from various ailments etc. that i am convinced they might well have avoided or might not have suffered from nearly as much if they felt they were doing something that mattered. They want to work and they really can't. Volunteer work is often not fulfilling. Oftentimes it is menial, unpaid or so poorly compensated the person feels that they may as well not be working since it is clear their contribution is really not appreciated. Some people might really like being retired and doing nothing but I bet the vast majority of AAII members would rather work until they drop. And that might be the only road to becoming wealthy for a great many of us. .