No other investment available holds as much potential as stocks over the long run. Not real estate. Not bonds. Not savings accounts. Stocks aren’t the only things that belong in your investment portfolio, but they may be the most important, whether they’re purchased individually or through stock mutual funds.

Since 1926, the stocks of large companies have produced an average annual return of more than 10%. (Remember, that includes such lows as the Great Depression, Black
Monday in 1987 and the stock slide that followed September 11.) You don’t have to beat the market to be successful over time. There is risk involved, as there is in all investments, but the important thing is to balance the amount of risk you’re willing to take with the return you’re aiming for.