Since Hargreaves Lansdown was founded in 1981, we have had ten prime ministers, two serious inflation shocks, a financial crisis, referendums and a global pandemic. And the growth line may wobble, but it does not – over any sensible holding period – stop climbing.

How UK stock markets have grown over the long term

A hundred pounds left in the FTSE 250 at the end of 1985 is worth around £5,882* today. The same hundred in the FTSE 100 is worth roughly £3,409. The cost of living over the same span has risen to about £323, meaning prices more than tripled. Set those three lines on one chart and the most important investment lesson is simple – stay invested and let time do the heavy lifting. Although as always, remember that the past…