{
  "id": 16934542,
  "title": "This 1 Word Might Be the Most Important Part of Warren Buffett's Legendary Advice to Investors",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/this-1-word-might-be-the-most-important-part-of-warren-buffetts",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-28T17:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motley Fool",
    "slug": "motley-fool",
    "url": "https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/10/28/the-most-important-part-of-buffetts-advice-to/?source=iedfolrf0000001"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors of all time, imparted a legendary piece of advice to investors during his six-decade tenure as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. In 2017, during a CNBC interview, Buffett emphasized that the key to successful investing is consistently buying an S&P 500 low-cost index fund. Many investors overlook this crucial aspect of Buffett's advice and focus on individual stocks instead. However, Buffett stressed that the consistency of buying is what truly matters.\n\nConsistently buying an S&P 500 index fund means not trying to time the market, not pausing investments during market crashes or economic downturns, and continuously investing as often as possible. This discipline and trust in the process are essential for long-term success. The S&P 500 represents the largest 500 publicly traded companies in America, and investing in it consistently can lead to significant gains over time.\n\nTo follow Buffett's advice, one must exhibit emotional discipline and self-control. Investors must avoid reacting to market fluctuations with knee-jerk decisions, such as selling stocks based on fear or missing out on investments during economic downturns. It is also crucial to avoid the temptation to think that one knows better than the market or can predict future stock prices with certainty.\n\nFor instance, if an investor can allocate money to the stock market every month or payday, buying stocks on a regular basis with low-cost index funds like the S&P 500 ETF (VOO) can be an excellent practice. Even if the S&P 500 doesn't match Warren Buffett's returns, an average annual return of around 15.3% from the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is still substantial and can significantly grow an investor's wealth over time.\n\nConsider the following hypothetical example: By consistently investing $300 every month in the S&P 500 with an average annual return of 9.98%, an investor would have $205,722 after 20 years, $589,941 after 30 years, and an impressive $10,828,056 after 60 years. While not everyone can invest as long as Warren Buffett, the power of compounding returns demonstrates the significant impact of a consistent investment strategy over the long term. The key takeaway is that investing regularly, even with modest returns, can lead to substantial wealth accumulation over time.",
  "summary": "Which stocks you invest in might be less important than how often you invest.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nasdaq Markets",
        "title": "This 1 Word Might Be the Most Important Part of Warren Buffett's Legendary Advice to Investors",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/this-1-word-might-be-the-most-important-part-of-warren-buffetts-16935961",
        "published": "2026-10-28T17:50:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}