Just came across this interesting historical framework that Samuel Benner developed back in 1875 about predicting economic cycles. The guy was basically trying to figure out when markets would boom, crash, or recover – and honestly, the pattern he identified is pretty fascinating to think about, especially when we're looking at periods when to make money.

So here's how it breaks down. Benner divided the financial calendar into three distinct phases. First, there are the panic years – these are the rough periods when financial crises hit and markets collapse. Think 1927, 1945, 1965, 1981, 1999, 2019, and looking ahead to 2035, 2053. The pattern suggests these typically occur roughly every 18-20 years. During these times, you really want to be defensive and avoid panic selling – that's usually when people make their biggest mistakes.

Then you've got the boom years, which are basically the opposite. Markets recover, prices surge, and these become the golden periods when to make money by selling and taking profits. The list includes years like 1928, 1935, 1943, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1973, 1980, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2007, 2016, 2020. Interestingly, 2026 is marked as a boom year in this framework – which is worth noting given where we are right now.

The third category is the recession and decline phase – when prices are depressed and the economy is sluggish. These are actually considered the best periods when to make money long-term because it's when you want to be buying stocks, land, and commodities at discounted prices. Years like 1924, 1931, 1942, 1951, 1958, 1969, 1978, 1985, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2023, 2032, 2040, 2050 fit this pattern. The strategy is simple: accumulate during these downturns and hold until the boom phases arrive.

The whole thesis comes down to one core idea: buy when prices are crushed during recessions, hold your position, then exit when the boom years hit and prices are elevated. Stay cautious during panic years, don't get shaken out. It's a cyclical view of markets that's been around for over 150 years.

Now, important caveat – this isn't some law of physics. Markets get influenced by tons of variables: geopolitical events, technological disruption, policy changes, wars, shifts in economic structure. So while Benner's framework gives us a useful long-term perspective on how markets tend to cycle, it's definitely not a guaranteed playbook. But as a historical pattern to keep in mind when thinking about periods when to make money, it's worth having in your mental toolkit.