Not many investments yield such a return over the long-run. The overall stock market has done so in nominal terms, but the past decade has not been good for stocks.

Taking the S&P 500, on July 16, 1998, the S&P 500 closed at 1,183.99. Today, ten years later, it closed at 1,245.36. That's just 5.2% higher. In nominal terms, that would translate into an annual return of +0.5%.

Once one factors in inflation, the real return is decidely negative. The 10-year return amounts to -21.8%. That comes to a return of -2.4% per year in real terms.

That is solely the price appreciation. One must include dividends. If one considers the average annual dividend of 1.4% paid during that timeframe, then the S&P 500's total annual return comes to 1.8% and its annual real return remains negative at -1.1% per year.