The One Stock Most People Should Own

Welcome back to another edition of "Rolling in Dough" Newsletter, where we serve up the simplest ways to save more, spend less, and build wealth with regular insights, behavioral science hacks, and tiny tips to do today. I hope to make your financial journey a little fun, simple, and totally doable, where ever you are on your wealth journey.

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What It Is & Why It’s So Powerful

The S&P 500 is a group of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the U.S., spanning technology, healthcare, finance, consumer goods, energy, and more.

Instead of trying to choose between Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, or whichever company is having a moment, you can own all of them at once through an ETF that tracks the S&P 500.

Two of the most common options are:

• VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF)

• SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF)

You buy these just like a stock, one ticker, one purchase, but what you’re really getting is broad ownership across the U.S. economy, spread across hundreds of companies that collectively reflect how businesses are actually performing over time.

Why This Approach Works So Well

Owning the S&P 500 means you’re not relying on one company’s leadership, one product cycle, or one industry trend to carry your portfolio.

As the economy changes, the index evolves with it, gradually replacing weaker companies with stronger ones and naturally shifting toward areas of growth without requiring you to make constant adjustments.

This structure removes a surprising amount of decision-making from investing.

Instead of monitoring earnings calls, reacting to headlines, or second-guessing every dip, you’re letting a diversified system do what it has historically done: grow over time alongside the broader economy.

It’s a strategy that many long-term investors use not because it’s flashy, but because it’s efficient, resilient, and remarkably consistent when given enough time.

What the Track Record Looks Like

Over long periods, the S&P 500 has historically grown at about 10 percent per year on average before inflation, or roughly 6-7 percent after inflation. That includes recessions, crashes, and recoveries.

What matters most is consistency over time. Even after major downturns, the market has historically recovered, and investors who stayed invested benefited from compounding rather than perfect timing.

This long-term track record is why many people use an S&P 500 ETF as a core, long-term investment rather than something they constantly trade.

How This Fits Into a Bigger Picture

An S&P 500 ETF works especially well as a foundation holding.

It gives you broad exposure to growth across industries, which makes it easier to layer in other investments over time if you choose to, like real estate, international markets, or individual companies you feel strongly about.

Even on its own, though, it offers a level of diversification and simplicity that’s hard to replicate by picking stocks individually.

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A Few Things Worth Keeping in Mind

This type of investment is designed to work over long periods, which means short-term ups and downs are part of the experience rather than a signal that something is wrong.

Because it reflects the overall market, it will have strong years and weaker ones, but historically it has rewarded patience.

It’s also focused on the U.S. market, which many people are comfortable with, though some later choose to add global exposure as their portfolios grow.

👋  TO GO BITES: The Wrap Up

Owning an S&P 500 ETF is less about trying to be clever and more about being intentional.

It’s a way to participate in long-term growth without turning investing into a full-time job or relying on perfect decisions at exactly the right moment.

Everyone’s individual situation is unique, and this is not legal, investment, or tax advice, and meant for educational purposes only.

Sometimes the smartest move isn’t finding the next big thing. It’s owning the system that keeps producing them.

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3 Tricks Billionaires Use to Help Protect Wealth Through Shaky Markets

“If I hear bad news about the stock market one more time, I’m gonna be sick.”

We get it. Investors are rattled, costs keep rising, and the world keeps getting weirder.

So, who’s better at handling their money than the uber-rich?

Have 3 long-term investing tips UBS (Swiss bank) shared for shaky times:

1. Hold extra cash for expenses and buying cheap if markets fall.

2. Diversify outside stocks (Gold, real estate, etc.).

3. Hold a slice of wealth in alternatives that tend not to move with equities.

The catch? Most alternatives aren’t open to everyday investors

That’s why Masterworks exists: 70,000+ members invest in shares of something that’s appreciated more overall than the S&P 500 over 30 years without moving in lockstep with it.*

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_{*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd}