Just came across this old but fascinating market theory that keeps showing up in trading circles. Samuel Benner, an Ohio farmer from way back in the 1800s, basically mapped out economic cycles by studying historical patterns. The guy was onto something interesting about when to actually make money versus when to sit tight.

So here's the core of his framework - think of it as three repeating phases. First, you have the crash years, roughly every 18 years or so. Benner identified panic cycles hitting around 1927, 1945, 1965, 1981, 1999, 2019, and predicted 2035 and beyond. These are the years when things collapse and you definitely don't want to be holding bags.

Then there are the boom years, the periods when to make money by selling. These come around roughly every 9-11 years - years like 1926, 1945, 1955, 1962, 1972, 1989, 1998, 2007, 2016, and he predicted 2026 as another peak year. Interesting timing since we're literally in that window right now. This is when prices are hot and assets are overvalued, perfect for taking profits.

The third piece is what most people sleep on - the buying opportunities. Every 7-10 years you get these periods when prices crater and everything's on sale. Benner marked 1924, 1931, 1942, 1951, 1958, 1969, 1978, 1985, 1995, 2006, 2011, 2023, and projected 2030 and beyond. These are your windows to accumulate while nobody's interested.

The whole strategy is stupidly simple when you see it laid out: buy during the crash years when sentiment is dead, hold through the middle cycle, then sell when the boom hits and everyone's FOMO-ing in. It's basically the oldest contrarian playbook in the book.

What's wild is how consistent the intervals are. You get roughly 18 years between major panics, and these smaller 7-10 year cycles for entry points keep repeating. Benner's original note literally said 'save this card and watch it closely' - basically telling investors this was a reference guide for decades.

Looking at recent history, 2023 checked out as a buying opportunity, which honestly tracked with what happened. Now we're supposedly in a 2026 peak window, which means if the pattern holds, periods when to make money are about timing these cycles right. Whether you believe in the exact years or not, the underlying rhythm of boom-bust-recovery is real enough that it's worth keeping on your radar.