[1ba9115454]

Not sure it's safe to assume the stock market will go up and up. Perhaps it will, but where does that money come from?

[whack]

The S&P 500 has a PE ratio of ~20. Which means that for every $20 of stocks that you earn, your portfolio of companies are generating $1 in yearly profit. These profits alone represent a ~5% ROI. That's where the money comes from.