New NISA widening inequality!? In 2026, the "have-nots" will regret for a lifetime—the common traits of the winning investors

The year 2026, when looked back from later, may be a year that many people will feel was a turning point.

When you look at economic news, the movements of the Nikkei and the yen exchange rate headline daily. On social media, some say "If you don't invest now you'll miss the boat," while others hear "There’s a bubble in the air" or "Will it keep falling?" Information is everywhere, but people don’t know what to do. In that state, time just passes by.

In fact, this "time spent doing nothing" is the biggest cause of widening asset inequality, albeit slowly.

When you hear the word "gap," it might sound a bit sensational. But this isn’t sensationalism; it’s a mathematical fact about compound interest. The speed at which money grows varies dramatically depending on when you start. Even if two people start saving the same amount in the same way, one who starts in their 20s and another in their 40s can end up with more than double the final assets. This has nothing to do with effort or intelligence. It’s determined simply by "when you started."

And the new NISA system started in 2024 has the potential to further widen this "time difference."

Why is the New NISA generating so much buzz? To understand that, you first need to discuss Japan's tax system.

Normally, when you make a profit on stocks or investment trusts, about 20.315% tax is applied to that profit. If you make a profit of 1 million yen, more than 200,000 yen goes to taxes. What you have left is about 800,000 yen. This is the typical taxation on investments in Japan.

However, with the New NISA, this tax becomes zero. If you make a profit of 1 million yen, the full 1 million yen remains with you. This difference grows the longer you invest, and the gap accumulates over time.

For example, if you save 50,000 yen per month with 5% annual return for 30 years, the principal sum is 18 million yen. But with investment, after 30 years it would be about 41 million yen. The increase is about 23 million yen. If that 23 million yen were taxed at the ordinary rate, about 4.7 million yen would disappear as tax. With New NISA, that 4.7 million yen stays as your asset.

The same 50,000 yen per month, the same 30 years, the same return. Yet the final take-home can differ by as much as 4.7 million yen. That is the difference between using New NISA or not.

Moreover, New NISA has a lifetime investment limit of 18 million yen and is unlimited in duration. The old NISA had limits like five years or twenty years, but New NISA has no such restrictions. Once you hold assets in the tax-exempt space, you can continue to hold them tax-free as long as you do not sell.

Among those who benefit from this system and those who have not yet started, a quiet gap is beginning to form now.

So why do so many people not start even though the system is so favorable?

There is a clear reason. The human brain is wired to fear losing money in hand much more than unseen risks. In behavioral economics, this is called loss aversion bias. People feel roughly twice as much pain from losing money as pleasure from gaining the same amount.

The joy of increasing by 10,000 yen in investment feels far less than the pain of losing 10,000 yen. So people keep choosing not to start.

But there is a big trap here. What you lose by not starting also exists for sure.

If you leave money in a bank, the balance on your passbook doesn’t seem to change. But in reality, inflation slowly reduces the value of money. Prices for groceries, utilities, and dining out rose across Japan from 2023 to 2024. What you could buy with 1 million yen now might require 1.2 million yen ten years from now.

Money kept in a bank is not "safe"; it is "gradually losing value."

Many think there’s no risk if you don’t invest, but in reality you are bearing unseen "inflation risk" every day. There is already a large gap in awareness between those who recognize this fact and those who do not.

So, what kinds of thinking and actions do people who actually increase their assets consider and take?

Investors who have built wealth over many years share a common mindset. It is not about special knowledge or talent. It is very plain and simple, almost disappointingly so.

First, they do not chase the "perfect timing."

When the market is high, they say, "It’s too high now; let’s wait a little longer," and when it falls, they say, "It might drop further, so let’s wait." People with this pattern can never start. Even economists and professional fund managers cannot predict market bottoms and tops exactly. For a layperson to try to judge it is impossible from the start.

That’s why smart investors act with the idea that "today is the youngest day of the rest of your life." There is no perfect timing. So start today. That's all.

Next, they prioritize "continuing" above all else.

The essence of instalment investing lies in consistency rather than the amount. Even if you contribute 10,000 yen or 30,000 yen monthly, the power of compound interest begins to work as you continue. Compound interest is the mechanism by which profits generate more profits. This power, sometimes called the greatest invention by Einstein, grows exponentially the longer the time horizon.

For example, investing 1 million yen at 5% annual return, after 10 years becomes about 1.63 million yen, after 20 years about 2.65 million yen, and after 30 years about 4.32 million yen. The increase accelerates: 0.63 million in the first decade, 1.02 million in the second, 1.67 million in the third. The longer you stay invested, the bigger the growth. The only way to maximize this is to keep going for a long time.

And third, they do not fear crashes; in fact, they welcome them.

During the 2020 COVID shock, the Nikkei average dropped over 30% in just a few weeks. Many individual investors panicked and sold, locking in losses. Those who continued their regular investments or bought more during that time achieved large returns when the market recovered.

The same was true during the Lehman Brothers crisis. From 2008 to 2009, world stock markets fell by nearly half. Yet in the next ten years, the S&P 500 rose more than fivefold. A crash is terrifying in the short term, but a bargain in the long term. Whether you can adopt this view greatly affects your wealth growth.

Of course, investing carries the risk of losing your principal. The amount you have invested can temporarily decrease. That is a fact. However, by investing gradually and diversifying over the long term, this risk has historically been greatly reduced.

For example, the S&P 500, a representative U.S. stock index, has delivered an average annual return of about 10% since 1928. There were Lehman, COVID, and the IT bubble busts, but those who held long term have seen continued asset growth. This fact is one of the most important grounds for considering investing.

Among the investment targets commonly used in Japan’s new NISA, there is eMAXIS Slim All-World Stock, also known as Orcan. This product spreads across stocks worldwide including Japan, has very low fees, and is known as beginner-friendly. Similarly, many investors favor index funds that track the S&P 500.

Which is the right choice is still debated, but both have the power to increase assets over the long term. Rather than chasing a perfect product, starting and continuing is far more important.

On the other hand, those for whom assets do not grow share common patterns.

They study, but cannot seem to start. They read books, watch YouTube, gather information on SNS, but cannot take the first step of opening an actual account and putting money in.

This state can be called "information-gathering addiction." By accumulating knowledge, they may feel as though they are investing. But no matter how much knowledge they accumulate, assets won’t grow without actually participating in the market. It’s like reading a swimming book but never stepping into the pool—the same point.

Also, people who are easily swayed by others’ opinions rarely accumulate assets. When online information says "Buy〇〇 now," they jump at it, and when information says "〇〇 is dangerous," they get anxious. People whose actions change with each piece of information cannot benefit from long-term investing.

What’s needed to succeed in investing is not the amount of information, but having a clear personal policy and the strength to believe in it and keep going.

Now, I’d like to pose a question.

Ten years from now, in 2036, where will you be?

Even if you work for the same company, doing the same job, and earning the same salary, the difference between someone who started asset formation ten years earlier and someone who did not may be striking.

If you save 50,000 yen per month at 5% annual return for 10 years, the principal is 6 million yen and assets become about 7.8 million yen. This is still a 10-year horizon. If you continue for 20 years, the principal becomes 12 million yen and assets about 20.5 million yen; for 30 years, the principal becomes 18 million yen and assets about 41.6 million yen.

On the other hand, if you leave 50,000 yen per month in a regular bank deposit for 30 years, the growth from the principal 18 million yen would be almost zero at current interest rates.

This isn’t limited to a particular group. 50,000 yen per month is not an impossible amount for many employees. You could make it by slightly trimming monthly food expenses, cutting subscriptions, and reducing dining out to once a week.

The question is not "whether you can do it," but "whether you will do it."

The first step to starting investing with New NISA is to open an account with a securities company. Online brokers like SBI Securities or Rakuten Securities let you complete the process on a smartphone, and you can start trading as early as the next business day. All you need are a My Number card and identification documents.

After you open the account, apply for the New NISA account and set up monthly contributions. You don’t need to start with an impossible amount. Start with as little as 10,000 yen or 30,000 yen per month—whatever you can sustain. What matters more than the amount is simply "start" and "don’t quit."

Investing is not a marathon with no goal. It is a process of steadily building wealth over time by contributing each month. Do not be rattled by crashes. Do not get carried away when the market is hot. Keep steadily going. The cumulative effect of this plain, consistent action will create a large difference in 10 or 20 years.

There is meaning in starting now, in the moment of 2026.

Because when you look back in 2036, ten years from now, you are likely to think, "I’m really glad I started then." Conversely, if you do nothing now, ten years from now you’ll be left with only regrets like "I should have done it then."

The most common regret in investing isn’t "I started too early." The overwhelmingly common regret is "I started too late."

Please start now. The amount doesn’t matter. Even 10,000 yen a month is fine. What matters is taking part in the market as soon as possible. With that alone, you can already be on the side of people who are growing their assets.

Investing does not require talent. It does not require special knowledge. All you need is one thing: the decision to "start today."