How this is calculated
value today = amount ÷ price at start of chosen year × latest price
"Investing at the start of 2013" means buying at the closing price of the last trading day of 2012. Your amount divided by that price gives the number of shares, coins or ounces you would own; that holding is then valued at today's price. All prices are split-adjusted, so a share of Apple from 2005 is compared fairly against today's post-split shares.
The chart traces your stash's value at each year-end along the way — including the crashes. If your result is below its all-time peak, the tool says so. A dollar figure without its worst moments is advertising, not information: the same $100 of Bitcoin was worth $48,000 at the 2021 peak, $17,000 a year later, and neither number alone tells the story.
Results exclude dividends, fees and taxes, and past performance is exactly that — past. This is a curiosity tool, not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
How is the result calculated?
We take the closing price at the end of the year before your chosen start year (that's the price you'd have paid 'at the start of the year'), divide your amount by it to get units, and multiply those units by the latest price. Prices are split-adjusted year-end closes from public market data, refreshed daily.
Does it include dividends or fees?
No. Results show pure price appreciation. For the S&P 500, reinvested dividends would add roughly 1.5-2% per year on top; broker fees, fund fees and taxes would subtract from any real portfolio.
Why does the tool show me losses?
Because that's the truth of investing. Someone who bought at the 2021 peak had a very different decade than someone who bought in 2013. Cherry-picking only winning start dates would make for better marketing and worse honesty.
Where does the price data come from?
Split-adjusted year-end closing prices from public market data feeds, refreshed automatically every day. The 'Data updated' date on the tool shows the last refresh. Details are on our methodology page.