Got $5,000? Buy These 3 Stocks to Double Your Money

There have been only two decades when stocks have had negative returns: the 1930s, during Great Depression; and the 2000s, when a confluence of events including the tech bubble, 9/11, and the financial crisis all conspired to plunge the market into the red.

Yet the decades that followed made up for those shortfalls. The 1940s produced compound annual returns of 10.2% annually, including dividends, while the 2010s generated a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14%. That means an investor would have doubled their money within about seven years and five years, respectively.

It proves the old adage that to make money investing "it's not about timing the market, but your time in the market." For investors who want the best chance of having a comfortable retirement, investing in stocks and staying in the market for the long haul is the correct strategy.

Source Fool.com