Just came across this fascinating historical analysis from Samuel Benner back in 1875 about identifying periods when to make money in markets. The guy was essentially trying to crack the code on economic cycles – and honestly, his framework is still worth understanding today.

He broke down market movements into three distinct phases. First, there are the panic years – those chaotic periods when financial crises hit and everyone's selling in fear. Think 1927, 1945, 1965, 1981, 1999, 2019, and looking ahead to 2035. The pattern repeats roughly every 18-20 years. During these times, you want to be extremely careful and definitely avoid panic selling.

Then you've got the boom years – the periods when to make money by taking profits. Markets are recovering hard, prices are climbing, and everything feels bullish. These are your exit windows: 1928, 1943, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1973, 1989, 2000, 2007, 2016, 2020, and coming up around 2026, 2034, 2043. If you're holding assets, these are the years to consider selling at peaks.

The third phase is the recession periods – the hard times when prices are depressed and the economy is struggling. This is counterintuitively when smart money moves in. 1924, 1931, 1942, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1985, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2023 (which we just lived through), and future years like 2032, 2040. These are your buying opportunities if you can stomach the fear.

The strategy is deceptively simple: buy cheap during recessions, hold through the chaos, then sell into the booms. Skip panic selling when fear peaks. It's basically about understanding the natural rhythm of markets.

Now, here's the thing – this isn't gospel. Markets are influenced by politics, wars, technology, unexpected shocks. But as a long-term framework for thinking about periods when to make money? It's a solid mental model that's held up surprisingly well over 150 years. Worth keeping in your back pocket when you're thinking about timing in markets.