Staying Invested Through the COVID Crash
What if you had kept investing about $220 per month from just before the COVID crash in February 2020?
What does this scenario show?
Investment period · Feb 2020 – Dec 2022 (about 3 years)
Investment method · about $220 per month vs. stopping after the crash
Target asset · S&P 500 ETF
+38% after 3 years vs. +12% if you stopped after the crash
Key results
Values verified by the operator against past data.
Sum of principal contributed during the investment period
Valuation at the end date
Personal return that reflects your investment timing
Risk & recovery metrics
These are the declines you actually had to endure during long-term investing. We do not hide this part.
Maximum drawdown (MDD)
-34.2%
Largest decline from the peak
Longest loss duration
5 months
Longest continuous stretch below principal
Recovery period
5 months
Time to regain the previous peak
What if you had stopped partway?
This compares the difference between continuing to invest through the COVID crash (+38%) and stopping investing (+12%). Recovering quickly from the short-term crash was the key benefit of staying invested.
If you stop investing during a decline, you lose both the chance to lower your average purchase price and the gains from the subsequent rebound. That said, there is no guarantee this result repeats for every asset and every period.
Data sources and limitations
- Based on adjusted close (dividends and splits reflected); FX effect not reflected
- Based on adjusted close (dividends and splits reflected); unless otherwise noted, the exchange rate (FX effect) is not reflected.
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected. Your actual after-tax return is lower than this.
- This is a result based on past data and does not guarantee future returns.
📋 Results are based on historical data; past returns do not guarantee future returns.
📋 This service is provided for educational purposes to help you understand investing, not as investment advice.