Angie · learn
Total return
What the account gained or lost across the whole test, start to finish.
Updated 2026-09-03
Total return is how much the account grew over the whole test period, in percent. It is the number everyone looks at first and the one that tells you least.
It is silent on the three things that determine whether a strategy is usable. It does not say how long it took, so 80 percent over eleven years and 80 percent over eleven months look identical. It does not say how much risk was carried. And it does not say what the path looked like, so a smooth climb and a doubling followed by a halving followed by another doubling report the same figure.
See also
- CAGR — Total return restated as a steady yearly rate, which makes runs of different lengths comparable.
- Buy and hold — Buying once and doing nothing. The benchmark every strategy must beat, measured over the identical window, because beating nothing is not a result.
Educational content, not investment advice. Angie explains how a valuation is built so you can judge it yourself. What you do with that is your call.
