Lisa Abramowicz, Columnist

Stop Fooling Yourself About 8% Easy Returns

Stock and bond markets are profoundly different from those in decades past.
Photographer: Pool/Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

There's an amazing amount of denial going on right now.

Investors are simply ignoring current market dynamics and are still expecting average annual returns of 8.6 percent, according to a Legg Mason Inc. survey of income investors released this week. Those who were employed expected more than 9 percent gains, with retirees expecting less. Actual returns have come in markedly lower of late, but hopes remain high.