There Are Always Reasons Not to Invest

Whether the headline comes from a newspaper or a push notification, there will always be negative news that will make investors wary.

The table below shows standout news events over the past half century. Since we’re in 2023, we highlighted events from each year ending in three. Disciplined investors who tuned out the noise and stayed invested in stocks were rewarded in the long run.

Staying Invested Despite Negative News

Year	Reasons Not to Invest	Stock Market Return for Calendar Year	*Growth of $10,000 Investment From Date in Column 1^ to 12/31/22**
1973	Watergate hearings begin	-14.69%	$1,359,675
	Oil crisis
	Yom Kippur War
1983	US Embassy in Beirut bombed	22.56%	$709,235
	Grenada invasion
	USSR shoots down Korean airliner
1993	World Trade Center bombed	10.08%	$158,434
	Waco siege
	Great Flood of 1993
2003	Iraq War	28.68%	$64,844
	Highest unemployment since 1994
	393 tornadoes in a single week
2013	Boston Marathon bombing	32.39%	$32,654
	Federal government shutdown
	Syrian civil war
2023	Recession fears	???	???
	High inflation
	Russia-Ukraine War

Past performance does not guarantee future results. ^* Assumes an initial investment of $10,000 in stocks beginning on January 1 of the date in column 1 through December 31, 2022, reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, and no taxes or transaction costs. Stocks are represented by the S&P 500 Index, which is a market capitalization-weighted price index composed of 500 widely held common stocks. Indices are unmanaged and not available for direct investment. For illustrative purposes only. Data Sources: Morningstar and Hartford Funds, 1/23.

What will 2023 bring? Even if it’s a down year for stocks like 2022, history suggests the market is likely to be resilient and reward investors over time.

Your financial professional can help you become a more confident and disciplined investor.

This material is provided for educational purposes only.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Individual investor’s circumstances may vary. Before investing, consider your personal goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. While diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market, it may be prudent to diversify among equity and fixed-income investments.

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