It's natural to look at the below numbers and believe your portfolio or mutual funds are up close to 20% when seeing headline figures similar to the below.
BUT, it's a much healthier exercise to cross-check the gains (or losses) with your 401k, IRA or Brokerage accounts. This one additional step can help you get a better feel for how your investments are performing versus the percentages shared by the media.
Ask yourself a few quick questions ---> Did I buy the lows of the mkt on Christmas Eve last year? How could the sell-off going into the close of 2018 impact (or exaggerate) the performance metrics thus far in the first seven months of 2019? Or, how has dollar cost averaging improved or diminished your results?
