# Stock Market Crash Strategy

> History shows holding S&P 500 funds for 20 years beats crash timing.
- Title: Stock Market Crash Strategy · The Motley Fool | Shortify
- Summary: History shows holding S&P 500 funds for 20 years beats crash timing. Buying low-cost S&P 500 index funds and holding for 20 years has a perfect track record…
- Keywords: s&p 500, vanguard voo, state street spym, stock market crash, long term investing, dividends, finance, money, Stock, Market, Crash, Strategy
- Source: The Motley Fool — https://fool.com/investing/2026/10/19/if-a-stock-market-crash-is-coming-history-says-this-1-strategy-has-a-perfect-track-record
- Author: Keith Speights
- Published: 2026-10-19T08:44:02+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: s&p 500, vanguard voo, state street spym, stock market crash, long term investing, dividends, finance, money
## Warning signs of market turbulence
Treasury yields hit multi-decade highs and stock valuations are at frothy levels by some metrics.
## The perfect 20-year strategy
Buy a low-cost S&P 500 index fund like Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) or State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM) and hold for at least 20 years.
## Unbroken 20-year track record
The S&P 500 has never produced a negative 20-year total return since 1928, including the Great Depression, World War II, stagflation, dot-com bubble burst, and 2008 financial crisis.
## 10-year positive returns
The S&P 500 delivered positive returns 94% of the time over any 10-year stretch since 1928.
## Why this strategy works
Market crashes are followed by rebounds and 44% of S&P 500 returns over 30 years came from dividends.
## Key takeaway

Buying low-cost S&P 500 index funds and holding for 20 years has a perfect track record since 1928.