Remember, from the middle 1980s to the early 1990s, many companies replaced restricted-stock and long-term performance bonus plans with stock options in the belief that they were a better way to link shareholder and executive interests.

FORBES: How To Salvage Stock Options

Then, you must expect to get a lot less so that the long-term performance of the stock market comes back in line with the underlying economy.

FORBES: Don't Bet The Farm On The Fed

Stock will reflect long-term performance.

FORBES: Business Insiders

Our ratings for domestic stock funds look at long-term performance over four bull and bear market cycles stretching back 12 years.

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Also, Morgan Stanley was ahead of its peers by attaching long-term performance criteria to the vesting of stock options based on ROE, TSR, and Pre-tax Profit measures over three years.

FORBES: Lessons Learned in the Aftermath of the Banking Crisis

Every starter portfolio should include an energy stock, and it's tough to beat ExxonMobil for consistency and long-term performance.

FORBES: Fee-Friendly Dividend Stock Plans

The relative performance has been in a long-term downtrend since early 2011, which meant this stock should have been avoided.

FORBES: Buy the Car, Not the Stocks