Longer Term & Higher Risk

There is a good reason why longer term investments are usually able to provide impressive returns. And that is risk.

Exposing money to increased risk can bring much higher rewards. The key to investing successfully is to understand and be comfortable with the risk attached to your investment vehicle and to be prepared to commit your cash over the mid-long term so that the effects of any ups and downs in the stock market can be evened out.

Unless it specifically says so, an investment return is not guaranteed. But if you are prepared to run the risk of your capital being eroded in the bad times then you can almost certainly reap great rewards during the good times.