Not everybody should or can be in the stock market. There is a high rate of people that cannot afford a $500 expense let alone putting cash away each month for retirement.
Most people are wired that when they see they are losing money in the market, they sell which is the worst thing you can do over the long run. These same people wait until the market is all the way back before getting back in the market, which is known as buy high and sell low.
Invest early in life, (dollar cost averaging) get into good index funds (low fees, more stable over long term), don't look at your net worth on a daily basis, and don't sell during a dip (big or small), actually buy more if possible (average length of a recession is 18-24 months before the market comes back).
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