Your eyes are not deceiving you: It's been a difficult year for investors of all walks.

Since the year began, the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average and benchmark S&P 500 have both entered correction territory with declines in excess of 10%. Meanwhile, the peak-to-trough drop in the growth-stock-driven Nasdaq Composite since its November high totaled 31%. That places the Nasdaq squarely in a bear market.

Although bear market drops can challenge investors' resolve and tug on their emotions, history is quite clear that sizable pullbacks are a fantastic opportunity to put your money to work and buy high-quality companies at a discount. After all, every correction and bear market throughout history has eventually been erased by a bull market rally.

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Source Fool.com