A portfolio loss and the gain needed to recover are not symmetrical. A 50% loss requires a 100% gain. Enter your drawdown and expected recovery rate to see how long the road back takes.
Quick loss scenarios
Enter as a positive number (e.g. 30 for a 30% drop)
Annual return you expect going forward
Portfolio losses and the gains needed to recover are not equal. A 50% loss leaves you with 50¢ on the dollar — to return to $1 you need a 100% gain on what remains. This asymmetry grows sharply with loss size.
| Loss | Gain to recover | At 10%/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 11.1% | ~1.1 yr |
| 20% | 25% | ~2.6 yr |
| 30% | 42.9% | ~3.7 yr |
| 50% | 100% | ~7.3 yr |
| 70% | 233% | ~12.6 yr |
Because you calculate the required gain on what remains after the loss, not on the original amount. −50% leaves you $500 from $1,000 — and a 100% gain on $500 gets you back to $1,000.
Yes — this calculator models a static lump sum recovering at a constant rate. If you continue contributing (DCA) through the drawdown, your actual recovery could be faster.
XIRR captures exactly this effect: a large deposit made just before a crash drags your money-weighted return far below the market's time-weighted return. Upload your brokerage export to see the actual impact on your XIRR.