$1,000 a month in the S&P 500 since 2010

Investing $1,000 every month in an S&P 500 index fund from January 2010 to Sep 2026 added up to $201,000. With dividends reinvested, it would be worth about $780,864.

Real monthly S&P 500 data, updated monthly. How we calculate
Start
End

What most index funds and dividend reinvestment plans do.

$1,000 a month into the S&P 500 since Jan 2010 is worth

$780,864

You would have put in $201,000 over 201 monthly buys. At the worst point, around Mar 2020, the balance was down 19% from its high, and the plan kept buying.

$201,000You put in
+$579,864Growth
14.7%Per year
−19%Worst dip
$0$200k$400k$600k$800kJan 2010Mar 2012May 2014Jul 2016Sep 2018Nov 2020Jan 2023Mar 2025Sep 2026
Value (S&P 500)Money you put in

If you had invested the whole $201,000 in Jan 2010, it would be worth $1,836,802. S&P 500 monthly average prices, dividends reinvested (recent months use the last reported dividend, Jun 2023). Data through Sep 2026. One buy per month at that month's average price; no fees or taxes. Past returns do not predict future returns.

The result

$201,000You put in
$780,864Worth in Sep 2026
14.7%Yearly return
−19%Worst drop on the way

That is 201 monthly buys. The balance ended at 3.9× the money put in, a money-weighted return of 14.7% a year. Without reinvesting dividends it would be $652,094, so dividends added $128,770.

Prices rose along the way, so the deposits are worth more in today's money than their face value: $201,000 of deposits equals about $261,576 in today's dollars. Even measured that way, the plan ended 3.0× ahead.

The hardest stretch: the balance fell 19% from its high around Mar 2020, during the 2020 COVID crash. Someone who kept buying through that drop bought shares cheaply, which is a large part of the final number.

How the balance grew
AfterPut inWorth
5 years (2014)$60,000$91,774
10 years (2019)$120,000$240,330
Now (Sep 2026)$201,000$780,864

How the balance grew, with dividends reinvested. No fees or taxes.

Try other amounts and years

Common questions

How much is $1,000 a month in the S&P 500 since 2010 worth today?

About $780,864 as of Sep 2026, from $201,000 invested, with dividends reinvested and no fees or taxes.

What was the yearly return?

14.7% a year, measured as a money-weighted return that accounts for when each monthly deposit went in.

What was the worst moment?

A 19% fall from the previous high around Mar 2020, during the 2020 COVID crash. The plan only reached today's value because the buying continued.

Will the next 17 years be the same?

Nobody knows. Past returns do not predict future returns, and the S&P 500 has had decade-long stretches with little gain.

Based on the S&P 500 monthly average level with dividends reinvested (an index fund before its small fee). Educational estimates, not investment advice. Past returns do not predict future returns.

The Weekly Fat Stack · starts January 2027

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