The total loss of Wirecard shares did not even cost the Dax 2 percent at the time.
The company from Aschheim was far too little significant for the share index.
For many savers, however, the debacle is much more expensive.
Not because they were shareholders in the bankrupt company.
But because they never become shareholders because of events like the one at Wirecard.
The Dax rose by 16 percent last year.
That could have settled eight Wirecards and would still have been as good as the interest-free overnight money account.
But there was no Wirecard in 2021. Such dramas happen occasionally, but not every year. The stock market produces many more success stories, in 2021 above all the Mainzer Aktiengesellschaft Biontech, but also Sartorius from Göttingen and 14 other DAX stocks rose by more than 20 percent in 2021. There are dividends on top of that. DZ Bank reports new records in the financial assets of Germans - thanks to stocks. But many just look on anxiously, considering Wirecard to be the rule and not the exceptional case - an expensive mistake.
A diversified equity portfolio, as offered by an investment in an index such as the Dax, ensures decent returns in the long term.
More and more investors are sharing this experience.
Those who are hesitant can only be called out: Take courage, at least give it a try!
Not with all belongings.
But a solid Dax ETF savings plan has not yet made anyone poor.