13% return with only 3% drawdown – that's the difference
Many providers will tell you about the returns. But what about the risk you have to take to achieve those returns? They'd rather not mention that.
Now that 2025 is behind us, this is the moment to look not only at returns, but above all at the price paid for them. For me, this has been the key to successful investing for years: risk management before returns.
An eventful year on the stock market
The US stock markets started 2025 on a turbulent note, with heavy losses. What followed was an exceptionally strong recovery: one of the fastest and largest price rises ever. Investors in the S&P 500 initially saw their investments fall by more than 22%, before ultimately ending the first half of the year with a return of just over 5%.
The last quarter brought renewed uncertainty, with corrections of 4% and 6%. A year of returns, certainly — but also one marked by significant interim fluctuations and mental pressure.
And the S&P500 Weekly Option System?
The S&P500 Weekly Option System had an excellent year:
· No losing weeks
· Structurally lower risk than the market
· Stable, weekly returns
While the market experienced peaks and troughs, the system continued to do what it was designed to do: grow in a controlled manner, with an emphasis on capital preservation.
What does maximum drawdown mean?
One of the most important measures of risk is the maximum drawdown: the largest loss from a peak to a trough.
A simple example: If an investment rises to €10,000 and then falls to €7,000, the maximum drawdown is 30%.
The lower this percentage, the more stable the strategy — and the easier it is to maintain in practice.
Many providers prefer to omit this figure. That is precisely why it is so important.
The figures side by side
Over the past 12 months:
· S&P500 Weekly Option System
o Return: 13%
o Maximum drawdown: 3%
· S&P 500 index
o Return: 16% in dollars
Converted to euros: approximately 3%
o Maximum drawdown: 22%
In other words: Higher returns in euros, with a fraction of the risk.
The power of this approach
This is neither coincidence nor luck. It shows what active investing with options can yield when risk is structurally limited. Not through predictions, but through a robust system that responds to movement — whichever way it goes.
Preview
I don't make stock market predictions. The only certainty is that markets will continue to fluctuate. And that is precisely what this system is based on.
Whether the market rises, falls, or moves sideways, the goal remains the same—to achieve consistent returns with controlled risk.
Week after week, we build up a solid annual return.
Don't have a subscription yet?
Would you prefer to invest in a structured and risk-aware manner, rather than relying on market forecasts?
Then follow my system completely automatically SP500 Weekly Option System and experience for yourself how consistent investing works.
Kind regards, Bram Voermans