A decade-long perspective captures full market cycles including both bull and bear phases. It provides the most reliable indicator of an investment strategy's true performance and is the standard horizon for long-term financial planning.

Compounding has a dramatic effect over 10 years because returns earn their own returns year after year. Even moderate annual growth rates can produce surprisingly large total returns when compounded over a full decade.

Historically, diversified stock portfolios have returned about 8-12% annually over 10-year periods, translating to roughly 116-210% total return. Bonds and real estate typically deliver lower but more stable long-term returns.