Yahoo Finance (The Motley Fool) analysis indicates that a $5,000 investment in the S&P 500 index on March 9, 2009, at the bottom of the Great Recession (when the S&P 500 closed at 676.53 points), would have grown by 1,470% to a total value of $78,510 by September 10, 2026 (when the index closed at 7,591.70 points), assuming dividend reinvestment. The analysis emphasizes that while bear markets and generational crises are painful, they can also present excellent buying opportunities for long-term investors.