Just came across something interesting about market cycles that got me thinking. There's this old theory from Samuel Benner back in 1875 where he tried to map out when financial markets go through different phases – and honestly, the patterns are worth paying attention to even today.

So here's the basic idea: markets don't just move randomly. They tend to cycle through three distinct periods when to make money, and understanding which phase we're in actually matters for your strategy. The first type is what he called panic years – these are the rough patches where financial crises hit, markets collapse, and everyone's nervous. We've seen them in 1927, 1945, 1965, 1981, 1999, 2019, and the theory suggests 2035 and 2053 are coming. The pattern repeats roughly every 18-20 years. When these hit, the advice is simple: don't panic sell. Just hold tight.

Then there are the boom years – these are the money-making windows everyone wants to catch. Prices surge, markets recover strong, and it's the ideal time to take profits and sell your positions. According to the theory, we've had them in 1928, 1935, 1943, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1973, 1980, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2007, 2016, 2020, and interestingly, 2026 is predicted to be another one. Future boom periods are mapped out for 2034, 2043, and 2054.

The third category is the hard times – recessions and downturns where prices are depressed and the economy's struggling. This is actually when smart money moves in. These are the periods when to make money by buying, not selling. You accumulate assets when they're cheap: stocks, land, commodities, crypto – whatever you believe in long-term. Historical examples include 1924, 1931, 1942, 1951, 1958, 1969, 1978, 1985, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2023, and the theory points to 2032, 2040, 2050, 2059.

What's wild is we're literally in 2026 right now, which the theory marks as a boom year. Whether that perfectly aligns with what we're seeing is debatable, but it's a useful lens for thinking about longer-term market positioning.

The core strategy is straightforward: buy when everyone's scared and prices are down, hold through the recovery, then sell when euphoria peaks. Avoid getting caught panic-selling during crisis years. It's a cyclical framework that acknowledges these distinct periods when to make money exist based on historical patterns.

That said, this isn't gospel. Real markets get complicated by politics, wars, tech breakthroughs, and unexpected shocks. But as a rough guide for understanding long-term cycles and positioning yourself strategically, Benner's framework still holds up pretty well. Worth keeping in your mental toolkit when thinking about where we might be in the bigger picture.