In 1998, two Dutch researchers studied the history of a unique investment that has been around since 1550. The Herengracht Index, as they called their research, looked at this investment’s performance for the whole time any information has been available.
Until this time, there has never been a study to find out how it performed over the hundreds of years… including during times of prosperity, famine, or war.
The results astonished these two researchers.

Like any market, there were definitely some highs and lows. But for 448 years, this investment was in a bull market most of the time.
What’s even more amazing is how this investment actually performed during recessions, wars, famines, and depressions. They assumed this investment would drop at the same rates as the rest of the markets. Instead, it held its value much better than others.
The first time this happened was during the first year of the Anglo-Dutch War. During those years, this investment actually went up by 11 percent while stocks and bonds crashed… it held fast to its long-term bull trend.
In other words, even during a war, people holding this investment made money.
The same holds true for depressions and recessions…
In 1931, with the Great Depression in full force, this investment saw modest gains that kept investors from losing everything. While stock markets crashed, commodity prices dropped 40 to 60% virtually overnight… and unemployment rates soared 75%.
Yet, some people escaped this catastrophe. And anyone who held this investment preserved their wealth during the toughest time in history.
In the following decades, the US experienced two wars, three recessions, and various other economic downturns. Yet, this investment began a four-decade bull run in 1950 that lasted through each of those trying times.
But none of those events affected this investment
The conclusion drawn by these two researchers is this: “Financial crises do not seem to have a big effect on [this] market.”
More recently, this investment preserved wealth throughout the 1984 recession. In fact, if you held this since the early 1980’s, you would have seen a minimum 800% return. Some people have done even better.
The same thing happened in 2001, when the Trade Center bombings saw the markets drop 7.13% overnight. Wise investors doubled their wealth.
Even today, during the 2009 recession, this investment is making people wealthy. It is protecting their savings… And it can make you wealthy, too.
You can do it without ever having to trade a stock… invest in the stock market… watch commodity prices… or call a broker. By now you must be curious what kind of investment can do all these things…
A finance graduate, Ronan McMahon worked in the e-business consultancy and dot-com industries before joining International Living as Real Estate Marketing Director in January 2004. Ronan has been an active real estate investor since his early twenties and joining International Living gave him the opportunity to marry his personal and professional interests. Last year Ronan took up the position of Executive Director with Pathfinder. Pathfinder is International Living’s preferred Real Estate advertising partner. Pathfinder scours the globe to find the most unique and value-oriented real estate opportunities.