[jowdones]

Nah, you're wrong. Japan's stock market dropped 90%. For 15 years straight, and never recovered above 80% of it's peak. US is only "special" until it isn't.

This didn't mean society collapsed and they started living in a Mad Max universe as people defending "stocks can't go to zero" argue.

Stocks industry is just a massive gambling machine. It can and will wipe out all your capital in completely unpredictable ways.

Buy real estate, own land, even keep money in the bank, with all inflation and shit they're much safer than in the cesspool scam that the stock market is.

[ianai]

You should probably not stop with the discussion of Japan at that point. They have a central bank pushing hard against the trend. Further, you’re still arguing from a limited point of view as keeping all investments in Japan wouldn’t be diversified.

[dmarchand90]

Japan is a bit tricky to analyze because they tend to have higher dividends than US stocks. And yes even though their total returns have been bad the point is you wouldn't lose all your savings. (Though you certainly would have been better putting your money elsewhere)

[chalcolithic]

It's very interesting, thank you. Retrospectively what alternatives to the stock market (aside from stock markets outside the country) would be a good investment in just-before-the-crash Japan?

[jowdones]

Well, you never know it's gonna be a crash so there's never "just before crash".

But definitely "never keep all your eggs in one basket". At most a quarter of all your net worth in stocks and that only if you enjoy having heart palpitations and have mentally resigned to kissing good bye to that capital. Stocks is gambling, advising someone to "invest" is same as "go gamble your money in Vegas". Would you still put your hard earned money in it if you realized what a sham the stock market is?

Real estate, land, ca$h in the bank. Stay out of gambling. But of course the establishment will never give you the last part.