A big part of succeeding
as an investor is having the right expectations
about what you can achieve by putting your money
into stocks, bonds, and cash, or the mutual funds
that invest in them.
It's not a big secret that people invest because
they expect to make money. Indeed, many succeed.
But others are disappointed either because they
overestimate the return they are likely to get
or because they are unwilling to risk any of
their principal to
earn a higher return.
As you invest to meet your financial goals, it's
critical to understand what buying securities
can do for your net worth — and what it
may not be able to do.
Jeremy
Siegel, The Wharton School 
