Final answer:
While no one can predict financial markets with absolute certainty, it's historical evidence that market crashes can and do occur, hence it's unrealistic to assume you will never experience one. A long-term strategy for financial security should include education, training, and early savings.
Step-by-step explanation:
To address the question of whether you will most likely not experience a major market crash in your lifetime, it is necessary to understand that predicting stock market movements and financial wealth accumulation is inherently challenging. While it's impossible to guarantee that an individual will not encounter a major market crash, history has shown that financial markets are volatile and subject to various economic cycles and unforeseen global events, such as those highlighted by the response to Y2K and the initial underestimation of COVID-19's impact on markets.
Investors attempting to outguess the market often perform no better than average, and market crashes, like the one in the 1920s, can be precipitated by a contagion effect of panic. Therefore, although no one can predict with absolute certainty, one should be prepared for all kinds of market conditions, including crashes, by adopting a long-term strategy, gaining significant education and training, and beginning to save early in life. The conception of never seeing a market crash in one's lifetime is unrealistic given the nature of financial markets and historical evidence.