Uhhh... That would have been true if you started investing in 1980, but if you were born in 1980 and started investing in 2000 you'd have had a very hard time doing better than inflation unless you'd gotten a position in gold or inflation indexed bonds very early.<p>When wall street is performing well, compound interest is on your side, but when it can't outperform inflation, it's somewhat more rational to have a "carpe diem" attitude.