When invested over the long term, broadly diversified and continuously, equities are a reliable instrument for wealth accumulation and retirement provision. This is confirmed by the 2025 return triangles published today by Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

"Our return triangles provide a fact-based basis for political debate. The decisive factors for investment success are not the timing of entry, but time in the market, broad diversification and regular investment. Short-term fluctuations become less important with long-term investment. By following these basic rules, good returns can be achieved. At the same time, they are a built-in safety mechanism that makes equities, equity funds and ETFs a particularly suitable instrument for wealth accumulation and retirement provision," says Henriette Peucker, Chief Executive and Member of the Board of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

Patience, diversification and continuity are rewarded

Those who do not want to select their own stocks can fall back on equity funds and ETFs. Broad indices such as the DAX, which tracks the performance of large German companies, or the MSCI World, which covers listed companies from many countries around the world, offset fluctuations in individual sectors or regions. The long investment horizon ensures stability, as short-term market fluctuations are insignificant. Regular investment, for example through savings plans, allows you to build up a significant share portfolio even with smaller monthly savings amounts, while smoothing out the entry price of the investment over time.

"Our return triangles clearly show that the stock market offers great opportunities for better retirement provision and successful saving if the basic rules are followed. We are therefore committed to improving the framework conditions that encourage people to invest in equities on a long-term, broadly diversified and continuous basis. In this way, we want to enable as many people as possible to share in the successes of the economy while at the same time improving financing opportunities for companies," says Peucker.

At the political level, Deutsches Aktieninstitut supports, among other things, a bold reform of private pension provision and the introduction of an early-start pension that seamlessly transitions into a retirement savings account, and advocates for the greater use of shares in all three pillars of pension provision in Germany as well. We are also campaigning for the introduction of a tax-advantaged investment savings account that makes it easier to save in shares for different life goals.

The 2025 return triangles are now available on the website of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

Appendix:Regular saving in shares for different investment periods

Based on the DAX return triangle for monthly investments, the following table shows how regular investments in the stock market have developed over the past 20, 30 and 40 years. The end date in each case is 31 December 2025.

The costs of purchasing or selling securities are not taken into account. The same applies to other costs that may arise depending on the form of monthly share savings, as well as any taxes. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 

When invested over the long term, broadly diversified and continuously, equities are a reliable instrument for wealth accumulation and retirement provision. This is confirmed by the 2025 return triangles published today by Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

"Our return triangles provide a fact-based basis for political debate. The decisive factors for investment success are not the timing of entry, but time in the market, broad diversification and regular investment. Short-term fluctuations become less important with long-term investment. By following these basic rules, good returns can be achieved. At the same time, they are a built-in safety mechanism that makes equities, equity funds and ETFs a particularly suitable instrument for wealth accumulation and retirement provision," says Henriette Peucker, Chief Executive and Member of the Board of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

Patience, diversification and continuity are rewarded

Those who do not want to select their own stocks can fall back on equity funds and ETFs. Broad indices such as the DAX, which tracks the performance of large German companies, or the MSCI World, which covers listed companies from many countries around the world, offset fluctuations in individual sectors or regions. The long investment horizon ensures stability, as short-term market fluctuations are insignificant. Regular investment, for example through savings plans, allows you to build up a significant share portfolio even with smaller monthly savings amounts, while smoothing out the entry price of the investment over time.

"Our return triangles clearly show that the stock market offers great opportunities for better retirement provision and successful saving if the basic rules are followed. We are therefore committed to improving the framework conditions that encourage people to invest in equities on a long-term, broadly diversified and continuous basis. In this way, we want to enable as many people as possible to share in the successes of the economy while at the same time improving financing opportunities for companies," says Peucker.

At the political level, Deutsches Aktieninstitut supports, among other things, a bold reform of private pension provision and the introduction of an early-start pension that seamlessly transitions into a retirement savings account, and advocates for the greater use of shares in all three pillars of pension provision in Germany as well. We are also campaigning for the introduction of a tax-advantaged investment savings account that makes it easier to save in shares for different life goals.

The 2025 return triangles are now available on the website of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

Appendix:Regular saving in shares for different investment periods

Based on the DAX return triangle for monthly investments, the following table shows how regular investments in the stock market have developed over the past 20, 30 and 40 years. The end date in each case is 31 December 2025.

The costs of purchasing or selling securities are not taken into account. The same applies to other costs that may arise depending on the form of monthly share savings, as well as any taxes. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 

When invested over the long term, broadly diversified and continuously, equities are a reliable instrument for wealth accumulation and retirement provision. This is confirmed by the 2025 return triangles published today by Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

"Our return triangles provide a fact-based basis for political debate. The decisive factors for investment success are not the timing of entry, but time in the market, broad diversification and regular investment. Short-term fluctuations become less important with long-term investment. By following these basic rules, good returns can be achieved. At the same time, they are a built-in safety mechanism that makes equities, equity funds and ETFs a particularly suitable instrument for wealth accumulation and retirement provision," says Henriette Peucker, Chief Executive and Member of the Board of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

Patience, diversification and continuity are rewarded

Those who do not want to select their own stocks can fall back on equity funds and ETFs. Broad indices such as the DAX, which tracks the performance of large German companies, or the MSCI World, which covers listed companies from many countries around the world, offset fluctuations in individual sectors or regions. The long investment horizon ensures stability, as short-term market fluctuations are insignificant. Regular investment, for example through savings plans, allows you to build up a significant share portfolio even with smaller monthly savings amounts, while smoothing out the entry price of the investment over time.

"Our return triangles clearly show that the stock market offers great opportunities for better retirement provision and successful saving if the basic rules are followed. We are therefore committed to improving the framework conditions that encourage people to invest in equities on a long-term, broadly diversified and continuous basis. In this way, we want to enable as many people as possible to share in the successes of the economy while at the same time improving financing opportunities for companies," says Peucker.

At the political level, Deutsches Aktieninstitut supports, among other things, a bold reform of private pension provision and the introduction of an early-start pension that seamlessly transitions into a retirement savings account, and advocates for the greater use of shares in all three pillars of pension provision in Germany as well. We are also campaigning for the introduction of a tax-advantaged investment savings account that makes it easier to save in shares for different life goals.

The 2025 return triangles are now available on the website of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

Appendix:Regular saving in shares for different investment periods

Based on the DAX return triangle for monthly investments, the following table shows how regular investments in the stock market have developed over the past 20, 30 and 40 years. The end date in each case is 31 December 2025.

The costs of purchasing or selling securities are not taken into account. The same applies to other costs that may arise depending on the form of monthly share savings, as well as any taxes. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.