Long-Term Investing: What the Experts Say

MoneyWeek's recently presented an overview of the surest strategies for long-term investing - which means looking at things in terms of several years or even decades rather than months, and resisting the temptation of flashy short-term gains.

Trust Your Kids (and Your Future Self)

Financial journalist Julian Marr puts it bluntly: think long-term, not in election cycles or market seasons, but in generations. “Invest for your kids,” he suggests. That mindset shift — from short-term greed to intergenerational patience — changes how people see volatility. A 20% drop this year looks less frightening if you’re investing for someone who won’t touch the money for 30 years.

This approach is supported by cold facts. During any 30-year rolling span since 1900, stock markets have almost always provided positive real returns. Downspikes over short time periods — like the 2022 downspike — don't matter if you keep on adding and refrain from panicking selling.

Think Dividends, Not Drama

While everyone else is running after the next technological boom, dividend stocks are the tortoises creeping to victory. Income shares, according to MoneyWeek, provide stability, reinvested growth, and inflation protection. The FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index, to cite just one example, returns around 4%, roughly twice the global average — not glamorous, but dependable.

This is why the majority of seasoned investors suggest the use of dividends over growth through speculation. Reinvested dividends work behind the scenes, turning small beginnings into large fortunes over several decades. As statistics from Schroders and Fidelity demonstrate, reinvested dividends can account for more than half of the long-term stock market returns.

All That Glitters (Isn't Gold)

Gold soared over $2,500 in 2024, during periods of geopolitical turmoil, but the very long-term picture is not so rosy.... inflation-adjusted, gold has barely beaten the rest since the 1980s. For serious long-term investors, it's a hedge — not a growth driver.

That isn't to avoid it completely: diversification has a role. A combination of dividend shares, international equity funds, and a small percentage in real assets like gold or property spreads risk without subjecting you to any one market catastrophe.

Final Thoughts

I'm with the general consensus, I am no day trader. It's all about time in the market rather than timing the market!

Of course I wouldn't expect money week to talk about crypto, but then again crypto is only part of all our Portfolios, right...?!?

Sources:

MoneyWeek (Sept 2025). Long-term investing: what the experts think.

Schroders (2024). The power of reinvested dividends over time.