Worth pondering: If you divided US stock market annual returns over the past century into 5% buckets—from -50% all the way to +50%—which range would show up most frequently?

Break it down like this: -50% to -45%, -45% to -40%... all the way up to +45% to +50%. Simple question, but the data tells an interesting story about market behavior.

Ready for the answer?

📊 Top three winners:

• 15% to 20% returns: most common
• 10% to 15% returns: second place
• 20% to 25% returns: third place

Why does this matter? It reveals that positive years dominate the historical record, and most winning years cluster in the 10-25% range. This isn't just trivia—it's a reminder that equity markets have historically rewarded patience over panic. For anyone thinking about long-term asset allocation, these patterns provide real insight into what "normal" market performance actually looks like across decades.