Archive · 17 Jan 2026
Patience Pays in Investing and Cooking
Investing in the stock market is like slow cooking.
Just like good food takes time and the right ingredients, good returns come from staying invested over a long period.
A study showed that whether you invest at the lowest or highest points in the market, staying invested gives you good returns.
Missing just a few good market days can greatly reduce your overall returns.
So, it's better to invest regularly and stay patient rather than trying to time the market.
The article also talks about the importance of financial planning as you approach retirement and the steps to take if you make a mistake in your tax returns.
A study showed that investors who stay invested in the market, regardless of timing, earn good returns.
Lucky investors who entered at market lows earned 16% annualized returns, while unlucky investors who entered at peaks earned 13.7%.
Missing just five of the best market days can reduce returns from 17.3% to 15.2%, and missing 50 days can drop returns to 4.7%.
Consistent investing is more important than trying to time the market for better returns.
The article also discusses the importance of financial planning before retirement and the process for recovering mistaken UPI transactions.
- Who
- Investors and individuals interested in financial planning
- What
- The benefits of long-term investing and the importance of patience in financial decisions
- When
- Study period from January 1995 to August 2025
- Where
- India
- Why
- To highlight how consistent investing leads to better returns and the pitfalls of trying to time the market
- Investment Study Period
- January 1995 to August 2025
- Lucky Investor Returns
- 16% annualized
- Random Investor Returns Range
- 14.7%-15.3% annualized
- Unlucky Investor Returns
- 13.7% annualized
- Nifty 500 TRI Returns
- 17.3% annualized over 24 years
- Returns Missing 5 Best Days
- 15.2% annualized
- Returns Missing 50 Best Days
- 4.7% annualized