Just stumbled upon this fascinating historical chart about periods when to make money – it's based on Samuel Benner's 1875 economic cycle theory that tried to map out when markets boom, crash, or decline.

So the idea is pretty straightforward. Benner identified three distinct periods that repeat roughly every 18-20 years. First, there are the panic years – think 1927, 1945, 1965, 1981, 1999, 2019. During these times, financial crises hit hard and everyone's nervous. The advice? Don't panic sell. Just hold tight and wait it out.

Then you've got the boom years – these are when you actually want to be selling and taking profits. Markets are recovering, prices are climbing, and it's the right moment to exit positions. We're looking at years like 1928, 1935, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1980, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2007, 2016, 2020. Interestingly, 2026 falls into this category according to the chart.

The third type is recession years – when prices are depressed and the economy's struggling. This is when you want to be accumulating. Buy stocks, buy assets, buy commodities while everything's cheap. Then hold until the next boom cycle rolls around. Years like 1924, 1931, 1942, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1985, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2023 fit this pattern.

The strategy is simple: buy low during recessions, sell high during booms, and don't get shaken out during panics. It's basically the classic buy-low-sell-high wisdom wrapped in historical cycles.

Now, important caveat – this isn't some magic formula. Markets are influenced by tons of variables: geopolitics, technological shifts, policy changes, wars, unexpected events. The Benner chart is more of a historical framework showing long-term patterns rather than a guaranteed prediction. But it's interesting to look at these periods when to make money and see how they've actually played out. Worth keeping in mind when thinking about market timing.