To Moneyguy's point, I learned if you take a historical 40 year cycle, mutuals will get you around an 8% return year on year. I assume this is still the case. Regardless, the real lesson here is if you're buying consistently every month dollar cost averaging will help you in the long run.
Another one, I was also give a rule of thumb the amount of investments you should have in low risk investments is equal to your age. As you get older, the more you move into stable funds and stable investments. Makes sense as you have less time to recover from a gamble.
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