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Amid the U.S. war with Iran<\/a>, some young investors have gotten their first taste of market volatility<\/a>. <\/p>\n “An early decline can make the market feel unusually dangerous when volatility is a normal part of long-term investing,” said certified financial planner\u00a0Douglas Boneparth<\/a>, president and founder of Bone Fide Wealth, a wealth management firm in New York City.<\/p>\n “It can be unsettling because they don’t yet have the experience of living through prior downturns and recoveries,” Boneparth said.<\/p>\n Since the war in the Middle East began<\/a> on Feb. 28, the S&P 500 has seen daily drops of more than 1.7% and daily gains higher than 2.5%, according to data from Morningstar Direct. Stocks have fared slightly better since the U.S announced a two-week ceasefire<\/a> on April 7.<\/p>\n Still, within the first month of the war, the S&P 500 shed more than 7%. An initial investment of $10,000 investment in the index on Feb. 28 would have dropped to around $9,260 by March 29, Morningstar Direct calculated. <\/p>\n The S&P 500 has now wiped out its losses<\/a> from the Iran war, pushing that investment to $10,026 as of Monday’s close. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Those market swings may have an outsized impact on new investors, said\u00a0Zach Teutsch<\/a>, founder and managing partner at\u00a0Values Added Financial, a wealth management firm\u00a0in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n “Our first experiences weigh heavily on us emotionally and in how we see the world,” said Teutsch, a member of\u00a0CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council<\/a>. “It’s hard not to overlearn our first few lessons.” <\/p>\n Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, started saving and investing at 19 on average, according to a 2024 Charles Schwab report<\/a>. To compare, baby boomers began investing at an average age of 35. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The latest volatility is nothing unusual, though. <\/p>\n Indeed, young people can expect around 15 bear markets during their working years, said Cristina Guglielmetti, a CFP and the president of Future Perfect Planning, a wealth management firm in Brooklyn, New York. A bear market occurs when an index declines 20% or more. <\/p>\n In recent weeks, the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 entered correction territory \u2014 a decline of at least 10% \u2014 while the S&P 500 came close. All have since rebounded.<\/p>\n “Clients sometimes ask me if the market will crash, and I tell them that it’s not a question of if, but when,” Guglielmetti said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\nExpect 15 bear markets in your working years <\/h2>\n