Recently, I pondered a question: Suppose you start at age 20 and invest the money you would have used for a mortgage into the Nasdaq through regular monthly contributions of 2000 RMB for 30 years. How much would you potentially earn by the end?

Optimistically estimating, this amount could grow to 10 million RMB. You might find it hard to believe, but the data is right here.

The logic behind this is actually very simple—the only wealth secret for ordinary people is fixed-amount regular investing. Sounds silly, right? Investing 2000 RMB without fail on the 10th of every month, mechanically repeating this action. But this naive method is precisely what most people are unable to do.

Why is that? Because dollar-cost averaging avoids two pitfalls: chasing highs and selling lows, and market timing. The common mistake among investors is, they hesitate to sell when prices rise, and are afraid to buy when prices fall. The final result? Getting stuck at the peak or buying at the bottom. But dollar-cost averaging is different—it’s passive and rational. When the market drops, your 2000 RMB can buy more shares; when the market rises, your existing shares appreciate. This dual effect, sustained over 30 years, can turn into a multimillion asset.

Over the past decades, the Nasdaq has achieved an average annual return of over 10%. Coupled with monthly investments and the power of compound interest, math will do the talking for you. But here’s a key point—dollar-cost averaging’s core isn’t investment skill, but persistence and long-term commitment.

You might ask, why do most people fail to make money in the market? The answer hits hard: because these are counter-human operations. You need to execute with robotic discipline, unaffected by market fluctuations. Imagine, even if you’re investing in Bitcoin or trading on DEXs, the logic remains the same—don’t care about ups and downs, ignore all noise. If you extend this cycle to 30 years, you can make money no matter what you invest in.

Here, I want to emphasize strategic allocation. The money used for dollar-cost averaging must be strictly controlled, and you should reserve some funds for black swan events. True wealth freedom often comes from a super black swan bottom-fishing opportunity. Therefore, dollar-cost averaging and bottom-fishing funds must be kept separate, operating independently.

What if you don’t have enough principal right now? Then, just work hard to accumulate. Once you have saved enough, no matter what, set aside 1000 to 2000 RMB each month for future investments. Thirty years is enough for compound interest to work its magic.

Some might say the seven American tech giants will eventually crash. But indices like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have weathered decades of storms and are still here. Betting on a long-term upward trend of an index is much more reliable than betting on individual stocks.