CNBC host Jim Cramer says investors who stayed in the market over the past four years have been well rewarded, with the S&P 500 up about 118% since hitting its low on Oct. 12, 2022. The benchmark index, a broad gauge of large U.S. stocks, has more than doubled over that span.

The gains came through steep Federal Reserve rate hikes, a banking crisis, broad tariffs and the war in Iran. The rally began in October 2022, when many people were worried about inflation and the economy.

Cramer laid out his case on CNBC's “Mad Money” show, arguing that the experience shows why stepping aside during turbulent stretches tends to cost investors dearly.

“The real lesson is that there never seems to be a good time to invest, because bad things do happen quite regularly, and yet investing is a superior way to get a return,” he said.

What a $10,000 Investment Would Be Worth

Cramer said $10,000 put into the S&P 500 at the October 2022 low would now be worth nearly $23,061.

Some individual stocks did far better over the same period. Nvidia shares have jumped about 1,875% since that low, meaning a $10,000 investment would now be worth about $197,505. Meta Platforms rose 488%, turning the same $10,000 into more than $58,800.

Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio run by CNBC's Investing Club, owns shares of both Nvidia and Meta.

Why Cramer Says Not to Time the Market

According to Cramer, the main lesson is not about finding the next market leader. It is about staying invested through uncertainty instead of trying to time each drop and recovery.

“We could not have predicted either the big declines or the big rebounds,” he said. “We could've turned tail so many times in these four years. And we would've been all the poorer for it.”

JPMorgan data underscores the cost of missing market gains. An investor who put $10,000 into the S&P 500 and missed its 10 best trading days from 2005 to 2024 ended up with less than half the wealth of an investor who stayed fully invested. The gap came down to just 10 sessions out of roughly two decades of trading.

Cramer discussed his approach in his Sunday column for Investing Club members. Club analyst Zev Fima followed up Monday with a story that includes an investment calculator for compound interest.

“Stay in, keep buying, don't lose faith,” Cramer said in closing.

Cramer's Earlier Comments on AI Stocks

Last week, Cramer said investors who want exposure to artificial intelligence could look at large tech firms. He named Meta and Microsoft as two that can benefit in several ways.

In chips, he pointed to Advanced Micro Devices and Intel. He also named Marvell Technology, CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks.

Markets Ended Mixed on Monday

The comments came as markets finished Monday's session mixed. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, which tracks the benchmark index, fell 0.06% to $778.10, while the Invesco QQQ Trust, which tracks the Nasdaq-100, fell 0.70% to $746.04. The State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust rose 0.35% to $517.91.

Nvidia closed down 1.29% at $226.32 on Monday, while Meta rose 3.38% to $742.96. Year to date, Nvidia is up about 21.35% and Meta is up about 12.55%.