If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 2007
$1,000 put into the S&P 500 at the end of 2007 would be worth about $5,073 today — a 5.07× return, or roughly 9.2% a year. Change the amount below to run your own number.
You'd have
$5,073
from $1,000 invested — up 407%.
The story behind the number
S&P 500 since 2007 has been a remarkably smooth ride. $1,000 put in at the end of 2007 grew to $5,073 — a 5.07× return, or about 9.2% a year. For contrast, gold — the classic play-it-safe alternative — turned the same $1,000 into $5,057 over the identical window.
The ride mattered as much as the destination. The strongest single year was 2020, up 13%; the worst was 2008, down 17%.
Holding on took nerve: the position fell as much as 49% from its 2007 peak to its 2009 low, before climbing back above that high by 2013. Inflation takes a bite, too — consumer prices rose about 58% over the period, so in today's money the result is closer to 3.21× what you put in.
Common questions
- How much would I have if I'd invested $1,000 in S&P 500 in 2007?
- $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 at the end of 2007 would be worth about $5,073 today — a 5.07× return, or roughly 9.2% per year.
- What were the best and worst years for S&P 500 since 2007?
- The best year was 2020, up about 13%. The toughest was 2008, when it fell about 17%. Across the window, 79 of 222 years finished lower than they started.
- What was the biggest drop along the way?
- The steepest decline was about 49%, from a peak in 2007 to a low in 2009, with the value recovering above its prior high by 2013.
- Would I have done better in gold?
- $1,000 in gold over the same window would be about $5,057, versus $5,073 in the S&P 500.
The chart above shows the whole journey, not just the destination. Try switching to a bit each year to see how spreading your buying would have changed the outcome — or skip the latte to find out what a small daily habit could have grown into instead.
More S&P 500 scenarios
All S&P 500 years →If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 1993
since 1993
If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 2004
since 2004
If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 2008
since 2008
If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 2014
since 2014
If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 2025
since 2025