If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 2024
$1,000 put into the S&P 500 at the end of 2024 would be worth about $1,266 today — a 1.27× return, or roughly 18.1% a year. Change the amount below to run your own number.
You'd have
$1,266
from $1,000 invested — up 27%.
The story behind the number
S&P 500 since 2024 has been a remarkably smooth ride. $1,000 put in at the end of 2024 grew to $1,266 — a 1.27× return, or about 18.1% a year. For contrast, gold — the classic play-it-safe alternative — turned the same $1,000 into $1,607 over the identical window.
The ride mattered as much as the destination. The strongest single year was 2026, up 11%; the worst was 2025, down 6%.
Holding on took nerve: the position fell as much as 8% from its 2025 peak to its 2025 low, before climbing back above that high by 2026. Inflation takes a bite, too — consumer prices rose about 5% over the period, so in today's money the result is closer to 1.20× what you put in.
Common questions
- How much would I have if I'd invested $1,000 in S&P 500 in 2024?
- $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 at the end of 2024 would be worth about $1,266 today — a 1.27× return, or roughly 18.1% per year.
- What were the best and worst years for S&P 500 since 2024?
- The best year was 2026, up about 11%. The toughest was 2025, when it fell about 6%. Across the window, 7 of 18 years finished lower than they started.
- What was the biggest drop along the way?
- The steepest decline was about 8%, from a peak in 2025 to a low in 2025, with the value recovering above its prior high by 2026.
- Would I have done better in gold?
- $1,000 in gold over the same window would be about $1,607, versus $1,266 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 2014
since 2014
If I'd invested in S&P 500 since 2025
since 2025