Drawdown recovery calculator
How much does a decline have to gain back?
Enter a percentage decline to see the gain required to return to the previous high, and how long that takes at a return you assume. Recoveries are always larger than the fall that caused them.
- Written by
- Suggested Investments Research Team
- Content type
- Calculator
- Published
- 2026-09-13
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-13
Value remaining
70%
Of the previous high, before any recovery.
Gain needed to break even
42.9%
A gain always has to be larger than the decline that preceded it.
Years at the assumed return
5.3
Arithmetic on a smooth assumed return, not a forecast of any recovery.
How to read the result
- A 50% decline needs a 100% gain to break even. That asymmetry is the entire reason risk is worth studying before returns.
- The years figure assumes a smooth return. Real recoveries arrive in bursts and can pause for years.
- Contributions made during a decline buy at lower prices, which is why a plan matters more than a reaction.
What this calculator cannot tell you
- It says nothing about whether any particular investment recovers. Some never do.
- Dividends, taxes and further declines are not modelled.
- Arithmetic on your inputs, not a forecast of any market.
Terms used here
Sources and methodology
Standard future-value arithmetic. Every figure is hypothetical and depends entirely on the assumptions you enter.
- Investor.gov investor education — U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionPrimary source
- Intelligent Accumulation methodology — Suggested InvestmentsPrimary source
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