Not trying to start a leverage war, but I ran some numbers out of curiosity.
If you invested $100 a month starting in 2010:
S&P 500 in a Roth IRA ends up somewhere around \~$60–70k (tax-free).
S&P 500 in a taxable brokerage lands a little lower because dividends get taxed.
TQQQ, despite all the volatility decay warning labels, ends up in the $250k–$400k range depending on how you model the returns.
Even after getting chopped up in 2022, the long-term compounding from a 3× Nasdaq ETF is insane. A $10k lump sum in 2010 literally went over $1M at the 2021 peak, so it makes sense that a long term DCA still massively outperforms.
I get that TQQQ can nuke 80–90% in a bad year, and most people wouldn’t hold through that without puking their shares. But strictly looking at outcomes, not emotions, TQQQ is the clear winner over the last 15 years.
That being said, what is the reason why I still shouldn't invest in TQQQ long term when the numbers LT prove otherwise?