In finance as in life, there is often a huge chasm between what is expected and what actually transpires. - William J. Bernstein

It is often said that a monkey could run an index fund. Nothing could be further fro the truth. Precisely tracking an index requires a very high degree of market savvy, discipline and nerve.

The rub here is that buying when prices are low is always a very scary proposition. The low prices that produce high future returns are not possible without catastrophe and risk.

The wealthy are different than you and I: they have many more ways of having their wealth stripped away.