Is Now the Right Time to Invest, or Should I Wait?

The S&P 500 reached 24 new all-time highs during the first half of 2026. While that sounds encouraging, it can also make investors wonder whether they have already missed their opportunity.

Add in concerns about technology valuations, artificial intelligence, inflation, interest rates, and conflict overseas, and it is understandable to ask:

Should I invest now or wait for better conditions?

No one knows exactly what the market will do next, but history shows thatwaiting for the “perfect” time can come with its own risks.

What If You Invest at the Worst Time?

Imagine investing $100,000 in the S&P 500 on February 19, 2020, right before the COVID-19 crash. Over the next 33 days, the market fell nearly 34%.

It would have felt like a terrible decision. Yet five years later, that investment had gained more than 80%.

The bigger risk was not investing before the decline, it would have been panicking afterward. An investor who moved to cash at the bottom and waited only one month to return would have missed more than $25,000 in growth over the following five years.

Markets often begin recovering before the news feels better.

Time in the Market Matters

Over the past 25 years, staying fully invested in the S&P 500 produced an annualized return of 9.55%. Missing just the 10 best market days reduced that return to 6.06%.

The problem is that the market’s best days often happen close to its worst days. Trying to avoid the downturns can mean missing the recovery too.

Since 1990, investors have faced recessions, wars, the dot-com crash, the 2008 financial crisis, a global pandemic, inflation, and political uncertainty. Through it all, the S&P 500 produced a cumulative total return of approximately 4,320% through June 2026.

So, Should You Invest Now?

No one knows what the next six months will bring. The market could rise, fall, or move sideways.

Instead of trying to time the market, focus on whether your investment plan fits your goals, timeline, and comfort with risk.

Historically, the cost of waiting has often been greater than the cost of imperfect timing. The goal is not to predict what happens next, it is to have a plan you can stick with when markets feel uncertain.

Process over predictions.

Shean