S&P 500: $1000000
in 1942 →
$96,215,634.80
in 1982
Stock market returns between 1942 and 1982
If you invested $1000000 in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 1942, you would have about $96,215,634.80 at the end of 1982, assuming you reinvested all dividends. This is a return on investment of 9,521.56%, or 11.78% per year.
This lump-sum investment beats inflation during this period for an inflation-adjusted return of about 1,525.20% cumulatively, or 7.04% per year.
If you used dollar-cost averaging (monthly) instead of a lump-sum investment, you'd have $81,510,352.73.
The graph below shows the performance of $1000000 over time if invested in an S&P 500 index fund. The returns assume that all dividends are automatically reinvested.
The nominal return on investment of $1000000 is $95,215,634.80, or 9,521.56%. This means by 1982 you would have $96,215,634.80 in your pocket.
However, it's important to take into account the effect of inflation when considering an investment and especially a long-term investment. You can convert S&P returns to their real (inflation-adjusted) value using an inflation calculation based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI).
In the case of the returns described above, the CPI in 1942 was 16.300 and the CPI in 1982 was 96.500.
The ratio between these CPIs describes how relative buying power of a dollar has changed over 40 years.
Adjusted for inflation, the $96,215,634.80 nominal end value of the original $1000000 investment would have a real return of roughly $15,251,967.33 in 1942 dollars. This means the inflation-adjusted return is 1,525.20% as opposed to the original 9,521.56%.
The table below shows the full dataset pertaining to a $1000000 investment, including gains and losses over the 492-month period between 1942 and 1982.
Note that data shown is the monthly average closing price. Returns include dividends.
Year
Month
Return (%)
Amount ($)
CPI
1942
1
-2.48%
975,208.41
15.70
1942
2
-4.76%
928,765.44
15.80
1942
3
-3.45%
896,690.11
16.00
1942
4
1.87%
913,464.92
16.10
1942
5
5.75%
965,972.84
16.30
1942
6
4.38%
1,008,299.38
16.30
1942
7
0.05%
1,008,753.22
16.40
1942
8
1.66%
1,025,520.10
16.50
1942
9
7.97%
1,107,238.77
16.50
1942
10
2.15%
1,131,098.26
16.70
1942
11
1.06%
1,143,042.28
16.80
1942
12
6.50%
1,217,384.05
16.90
1943
1
6.43%
1,295,707.65
16.90
1943
2
4.01%
1,347,725.85
16.90
1943
3
3.79%
1,398,757.63
17.20
1943
4
4.36%
1,459,790.25
17.40
1943
5
2.18%
1,491,609.34
17.50
1943
6
2.47%
1,528,488.66
17.50
1943
7
-4.54%
1,459,111.91
17.40
1943
8
2.55%
1,496,363.04
17.30
1943
9
-0.50%
1,488,874.99
17.40
1943
10
-4.21%
1,426,246.71
17.40
1943
11
1.77%
1,451,493.11
17.40
1943
12
3.67%
1,504,701.88
17.40
1944
1
-0.24%
1,501,033.59
17.40
1944
2
3.24%
1,549,672.30
17.40
1944
3
-1.31%
1,529,394.22
17.40
1944
4
2.20%
1,563,087.77
17.50
1944
5
5.14%
1,643,466.94
17.50
1944
6
3.02%
1,693,082.26
17.60
1944
7
-1.06%
1,675,210.83
17.70
1944
8
-1.23%
1,654,686.63
17.70
1944
9
2.88%
1,702,401.14
17.70
1944
10
-0.28%
1,697,566.02
17.70
1944
11
2.60%
1,741,704.50
17.70
1944
12
3.38%
1,800,647.69
17.80
1945
1
3.73%
1,867,869.79
17.80
1945
2
0.31%
1,873,750.62
17.80
1945
3
2.90%
1,928,115.84
17.80
1945
4
4.16%
2,008,341.48
17.80
1945
5
2.19%
2,052,271.13
17.90
1945
6
-1.70%
2,017,477.27
18.10
1945
7
0.71%
2,031,733.98
18.10
1945
8
7.18%
2,177,602.65
18.10
1945
9
4.51%
2,275,897.21
18.10
1945
10
3.61%
2,357,967.45
18.10
1945
11
2.02%
2,405,707.98
18.10
1945
12
4.30%
2,509,127.05
18.20
1946
1
0.59%
2,523,824.74
18.20
1946
2
-2.68%
2,456,240.30
18.10
1946
3
6.77%
2,622,511.75
18.30
1946
4
0.52%
2,636,097.47
18.40
1946
5
-0.34%
2,627,169.51
18.50
1946
6
-2.55%
2,560,241.26
18.70
1946
7
-1.62%
2,518,673.78
19.80
1946
8
-14.42%
2,155,418.73
20.20
1946
9
-1.87%
2,115,067.12
20.40
1946
10
-0.01%
2,114,788.30
20.80
1946
11
3.39%
2,186,568.89
21.30
1946
12
0.92%
2,206,681.09
21.50
1947
1
4.27%
2,300,903.09
21.50
1947
2
-3.67%
2,216,399.11
21.50
1947
3
-3.30%
2,143,298.88
21.90
1947
4
-1.36%
2,114,101.73
21.90
1947
5
3.92%
2,196,988.41
21.90
1947
6
6.69%
2,344,046.49
22.00
1947
7
-1.56%
2,307,505.92
22.20
1947
8
-2.17%
2,257,504.98
22.50
1947
9
3.03%
2,325,834.73
23.00
1947
10
-0.73%
2,308,857.23
23.00
1947
11
-1.12%
2,282,942.85
23.10
1947
12
-0.86%
2,263,196.84
23.40
1948
1
-4.45%
2,162,517.05
23.70
1948
2
1.92%
2,204,012.16
23.50
1948
3
8.19%
2,384,468.86
23.40
1948
4
5.33%
2,511,563.12
23.80
1948
5
4.59%
2,626,773.62
23.90
1948
6
-1.96%
2,575,367.78
24.10
1948
7
-2.49%
2,511,279.85
24.40
1948
8
-0.68%
2,494,256.15
24.50
1948
9
3.19%
2,573,784.30
24.50
1948
10
-5.10%
2,442,498.52
24.40
1948
11
-0.16%
2,438,638.02
24.20
1948
12
1.63%
2,478,372.24
24.10
1949
1
-3.33%
2,395,903.26
24.00
1949
2
1.49%
2,431,635.43
23.80
1949
3
0.41%
2,441,692.50
23.80
1949
4
-0.18%
2,437,228.54
23.90
1949
5
-4.91%
2,317,492.54
23.80
1949
6
6.26%
2,462,646.87
23.90
1949
7
4.17%
2,565,349.90
23.70
1949
8
1.87%
2,613,353.45
23.80
1949
9
3.14%
2,695,460.11
23.90
1949
10
1.95%
2,747,951.89
23.70
1949
11
3.24%
2,837,029.62
23.80
1949
12
2.63%
2,911,643.16
23.60
1950
1
2.52%
2,985,095.45
23.50
1950
2
1.38%
3,026,145.57
23.50
1950
3
3.39%
3,128,615.92
23.60
1950
4
3.91%
3,251,083.23
23.60
1950
5
2.16%
3,321,458.72
23.70
1950
6
-6.72%
3,098,137.59
23.80
1950
7
6.64%
3,303,778.85
24.10
1950
8
4.11%
3,439,519.25
24.30
1950
9
4.72%
3,601,910.95
24.40
1950
10
0.38%
3,615,456.18
24.60
1950
11
0.19%
3,622,495.81
24.70
1950
12
8.01%
3,912,754.02
25.00
1951
1
4.31%
4,081,345.41
25.40
1951
2
-1.11%
4,035,945.55
25.70
1951
3
1.93%
4,113,691.46
25.80
1951
4
0.63%
4,139,547.94
25.80
1951
5
-1.15%
4,092,147.79
25.90
1951
6
2.37%
4,188,992.12
25.90
1951
7
4.97%
4,396,987.93
25.90
1951
8
3.14%
4,534,867.31
25.90
1951
9
0.03%
4,536,154.89
26.10
1951
10
-2.25%
4,433,938.17
26.20
1951
11
3.61%
4,594,144.85
26.40
1951
12
3.83%
4,770,276.63
26.50
1952
1
-1.33%
4,706,734.24
26.50
1952
2
0.75%
4,742,021.04
26.30
1952
3
0.20%
4,751,647.15
26.30
1952
4
0.46%
4,773,497.25
26.40
1952
5
3.24%
4,928,389.50
26.40
1952
6
3.37%
5,094,320.03
26.50
1952
7
0.88%
5,139,176.31
26.70
1952
8
-1.11%
5,082,199.08
26.70
1952
9
-1.61%
5,000,332.88
26.70
1952
10
3.67%
5,183,717.41
26.70
1952
11
4.51%
5,417,452.91
26.70
1952
12
0.99%
5,471,024.11
26.70
1953
1
-0.77%
5,428,706.22
26.60
1953
2
0.96%
5,480,663.10
26.50
1953
3
-4.47%
5,235,519.93
26.60
1953
4
1.00%
5,288,018.68
26.60
1953
5
-3.11%
5,123,684.74
26.70
1953
6
1.91%
5,221,737.16
26.80
1953
7
0.90%
5,268,673.32
26.80
1953
8
-4.11%
5,052,295.52
26.90
1953
9
3.52%
5,229,969.00
26.90
1953
10
2.71%
5,371,609.45
27.00
1953
11
1.84%
5,470,271.66
26.90
1953
12
3.02%
5,635,686.98
26.90
1954
1
2.68%
5,786,515.57
26.90
1954
2
2.58%
5,935,947.37
26.90
1954
3
4.45%
6,200,127.19
26.90
1954
4
4.42%
6,474,329.48
26.80
1954
5
1.22%
6,553,515.32
26.90
1954
6
4.46%
6,845,624.99
26.90
1954
7
2.39%
7,009,526.74
26.90
1954
8
2.74%
7,201,574.58
26.90
1954
9
2.71%
7,396,784.19
26.80
1954
10
4.30%
7,715,007.77
26.80
1954
11
4.95%
8,097,156.56
26.80
1954
12
2.17%
8,272,745.45
26.70
1955
1
3.70%
8,579,229.56
26.70
1955
2
-0.44%
8,541,788.81
26.70
1955
3
3.81%
8,867,078.85
26.70
1955
4
-0.08%
8,860,099.19
26.70
1955
5
6.15%
9,404,560.73
26.70
1955
6
7.64%
10,123,457.21
26.70
1955
7
-0.30%
10,093,156.20
26.80
1955
8
4.82%
10,579,285.90
26.80
1955
9
-4.72%
10,079,430.15
26.90
1955
10
7.07%
10,791,657.82
26.90
1955
11
1.24%
10,925,169.68
26.90
1955
12
-2.39%
10,664,301.25
26.80
1956
1
0.95%
10,765,549.71
26.80
1956
2
7.21%
11,541,325.13
26.80
1956
3
1.48%
11,712,456.24
26.80
1956
4
-2.84%
11,380,000.63
26.90
1956
5
-0.26%
11,350,182.73
27.00
1956
6
5.75%
12,002,689.46
27.20
1956
7
-0.28%
11,968,514.72
27.40
1956
8
-3.09%
11,598,826.70
27.30
1956
9
-0.95%
11,488,220.19
27.40
1956
10
-0.71%
11,406,370.55
27.50
1956
11
1.81%
11,612,706.58
27.50
1956
12
-1.86%
11,396,406.17
27.60
1957
1
-4.00%
10,941,032.20
27.60
1957
2
1.62%
11,118,334.85
27.70
1957
3
2.64%
11,412,307.02
27.80
1957
4
4.16%
11,887,080.95
27.90
1957
5
1.95%
12,119,376.23
28.00
1957
6
2.32%
12,400,802.33
28.10
1957
7
-5.21%
11,755,326.64
28.30
1957
8
-3.74%
11,315,741.36
28.30
1957
9
-5.90%
10,648,495.13
28.30
1957
10
-1.80%
10,456,775.74
28.30
1957
11
0.32%
10,490,033.56
28.40
1957
12
2.33%
10,734,315.48
28.40
1958
1
0.70%
10,809,656.91
28.60
1958
2
2.42%
11,071,136.34
28.60
1958
3
0.90%
11,170,384.83
28.80
1958
4
3.56%
11,567,809.17
28.90
1958
5
2.74%
11,884,210.59
28.90
1958
6
3.07%
12,249,146.59
28.90
1958
7
4.05%
12,745,763.62
29.00
1958
8
2.94%
13,120,966.48
28.90
1958
9
4.36%
13,692,909.48
28.90
1958
10
3.33%
14,148,369.37
28.90
1958
11
2.16%
14,454,318.43
29.00
1958
12
4.25%
15,069,304.78
28.90
1959
1
-1.27%
14,878,673.24
29.00
1959
2
2.81%
15,296,195.42
28.90
1959
3
1.94%
15,592,395.79
28.90
1959
4
1.77%
15,867,667.34
29.00
1959
5
-0.61%
15,771,467.78
29.00
1959
6
4.23%
16,438,218.98
29.10
1959
7
-0.32%
16,385,861.71
29.20
1959
8
-3.70%
15,779,054.49
29.20
1959
9
0.18%
15,806,943.27
29.30
1959
10
0.67%
15,912,708.13
29.40
1959
11
3.46%
16,463,784.47
29.40
1959
12
-1.49%
16,219,169.32
29.40
1960
1
-3.61%
15,633,779.96
29.30
1960
2
-1.08%
15,465,225.17
29.40
1960
3
1.58%
15,710,236.47
29.40
1960
4
-0.62%
15,612,119.84
29.50
1960
5
3.99%
16,234,745.01
29.50
1960
6
-2.20%
15,878,210.05
29.60
1960
7
1.49%
16,114,933.00
29.60
1960
8
-2.72%
15,676,484.77
29.60
1960
9
-1.67%
15,414,065.97
29.60
1960
10
3.54%
15,959,855.29
29.80
1960
11
2.69%
16,389,278.11
29.80
1960
12
5.43%
17,278,713.85
29.80
1961
1
4.37%
18,034,504.96
29.80
1961
2
3.40%
18,647,145.58
29.80
1961
3
2.92%
19,191,456.89
29.80
1961
4
1.26%
19,433,913.14
29.80
1961
5
-1.08%
19,223,987.91
29.80
1961
6
-0.03%
19,218,616.99
29.80
1961
7
3.84%
19,956,414.09
30.00
1961
8
-0.54%
19,848,309.00
29.90
1961
9
1.34%
20,114,881.09
30.00
1961
10
4.77%
21,074,775.05
30.00
1961
11
1.16%
21,319,876.54
30.00
1961
12
-3.49%
20,576,424.85
30.00
1962
1
1.91%
20,969,330.94
30.00
1962
2
0.34%
21,040,834.56
30.10
1962
3
-2.94%
20,421,194.10
30.10
1962
4
-7.19%
18,953,915.80
30.20
1962
5
-11.41%
16,790,753.39
30.20
1962
6
2.72%
17,247,018.40
30.20
1962
7
3.02%
17,768,401.64
30.30
1962
8
-0.59%
17,662,974.63
30.30
1962
9
-2.86%
17,158,463.22
30.40
1962
10
7.20%
18,394,019.97
30.40
1962
11
4.62%
19,244,516.94
30.40
1962
12
4.15%
20,042,531.51
30.40
1963
1
1.60%
20,362,317.35
30.40
1963
2
-0.11%
20,340,265.64
30.40
1963
3
4.98%
21,352,839.39
30.50
1963
4
2.27%
21,837,456.87
30.50
1963
5
0.22%
21,884,763.32
30.50
1963
6
-1.22%
21,617,355.71
30.60
1963
7
3.03%
22,272,608.79
30.70
1963
8
2.89%
22,917,092.73
30.70
1963
9
0.50%
23,031,651.98
30.70
1963
10
-0.31%
22,961,043.50
30.80
1963
11
2.39%
23,510,583.23
30.80
1963
12
3.33%
24,293,529.71
30.90
1964
1
1.48%
24,653,051.45
30.90
1964
2
2.07%
25,163,625.89
30.90
1964
3
1.69%
25,589,672.47
30.90
1964
4
1.22%
25,901,958.62
30.90
1964
5
-0.35%
25,811,129.82
30.90
1964
6
3.96%
26,833,517.34
31.00
1964
7
-1.23%
26,504,627.79
31.10
1964
8
1.97%
27,025,562.25
31.00
1964
9
1.97%
27,558,016.48
31.10
1964
10
0.94%
27,816,220.64
31.10
1964
11
-1.49%
27,401,668.66
31.20
1964
12
2.82%
28,174,611.55
31.20
1965
1
0.98%
28,449,331.19
31.20
1965
2
0.34%
28,544,799.88
31.20
1965
3
1.56%
28,989,425.49
31.30
1965
4
1.73%
29,491,695.76
31.40
1965
5
-4.51%
28,162,400.30
31.40
1965
6
0.10%
28,191,377.37
31.60
1965
7
2.12%
28,788,635.21
31.60
1965
8
3.60%
29,823,906.85
31.60
1965
9
2.50%
30,568,559.11
31.60
1965
10
1.08%
30,897,469.09
31.70
1965
11
-0.21%
30,832,086.49
31.70
1965
12
1.98%
31,442,700.51
31.80
1966
1
-0.43%
31,307,365.27
31.80
1966
2
-3.86%
30,098,169.37
32.00
1966
3
3.32%
31,097,716.66
32.10
1966
4
-5.01%
29,540,473.32
32.30
1966
5
-0.56%
29,375,186.98
32.30
1966
6
0.02%
29,380,591.43
32.40
1966
7
-5.77%
27,685,491.48
32.50
1966
8
-3.22%
26,792,678.72
32.70
1966
9
-0.56%
26,641,458.43
32.70
1966
10
5.32%
28,057,734.49
32.90
1966
11
0.72%
28,258,570.39
32.90
1966
12
4.13%
29,425,731.93
32.90
1967
1
3.73%
30,523,316.96
32.90
1967
2
2.63%
31,327,221.09
32.90
1967
3
1.99%
31,951,406.57
33.00
1967
4
2.06%
32,608,864.60
33.10
1967
5
-0.99%
32,285,440.83
33.20
1967
6
1.99%
32,928,701.37
33.30
1967
7
1.85%
33,538,426.67
33.40
1967
8
1.65%
34,093,121.33
33.50
1967
9
0.10%
34,126,333.15
33.60
1967
10
-2.88%
33,142,903.04
33.70
1967
11
3.11%
34,174,222.24
33.80
1967
12
-0.02%
34,168,245.63
33.90
1968
1
-4.26%
32,713,710.42
34.10
1968
2
-1.56%
32,203,628.87
34.20
1968
3
7.66%
34,670,983.27
34.30
1968
4
2.56%
35,557,760.32
34.40
1968
5
2.94%
36,603,404.74
34.50
1968
6
0.05%
36,621,311.88
34.70
1968
7
-1.93%
35,913,084.73
34.90
1968
8
3.51%
37,172,802.40
35.00
1968
9
2.72%
38,182,853.13
35.10
1968
10
1.79%
38,864,704.29
35.30
1968
11
1.29%
39,364,238.34
35.40
1968
12
-3.99%
37,795,521.08
35.50
1969
1
-0.24%
37,705,355.30
35.60
1969
2
-1.91%
36,983,752.81
35.80
1969
3
2.27%
37,824,856.95
36.10
1969
4
3.51%
39,153,830.00
36.30
1969
5
-4.97%
37,207,368.09
36.40
1969
6
-4.21%
35,642,674.54
36.60
1969
7
-0.28%
35,541,586.92
36.80
1969
8
0.63%
35,764,974.42
37.00
1969
9
1.35%
36,246,520.61
37.10
1969
10
1.00%
36,608,066.56
37.30
1969
11
-5.03%
34,767,601.18
37.50
1969
12
-0.59%
34,562,809.03
37.70
1970
1
-3.20%
33,458,150.44
37.80
1970
2
2.01%
34,131,416.70
38.00
1970
3
-2.75%
33,193,588.81
38.20
1970
4
-11.20%
29,476,232.88
38.50
1970
5
-0.27%
29,396,679.80
38.60
1970
6
0.52%
29,550,293.88
38.80
1970
7
3.26%
30,512,386.78
39.00
1970
8
6.32%
32,441,165.85
39.00
1970
9
2.49%
33,248,790.34
39.20
1970
10
0.21%
33,317,535.83
39.40
1970
11
7.16%
35,702,521.05
39.60
1970
12
4.11%
37,170,137.17
39.80
1971
1
4.15%
38,713,094.79
39.80
1971
2
2.83%
39,809,387.76
39.90
1971
3
3.67%
41,271,929.78
40.00
1971
4
-1.11%
40,814,688.55
40.10
1971
5
-1.60%
40,163,345.11
40.30
1971
6
-0.46%
39,977,403.69
40.60
1971
7
-1.52%
39,370,900.38
40.70
1971
8
2.49%
40,349,819.31
40.80
1971
9
-1.86%
39,597,826.96
40.80
1971
10
-4.37%
37,866,798.39
40.90
1971
11
7.16%
40,579,424.81
40.90
1971
12
4.42%
42,374,066.27
41.10
1972
1
2.09%
43,258,397.58
41.10
1972
2
2.62%
44,391,600.38
41.30
1972
3
1.26%
44,950,445.42
41.40
1972
4
-0.78%
44,601,680.09
41.50
1972
5
0.52%
44,831,866.73
41.60
1972
6
-0.50%
44,605,977.77
41.70
1972
7
3.78%
46,293,727.67
41.90
1972
8
-1.21%
45,733,360.52
42.00
1972
9
0.42%
45,924,264.55
42.10
1972
10
5.25%
48,337,220.46
42.30
1972
11
2.31%
49,454,543.43
42.40
1972
12
0.99%
49,943,827.74
42.50
1973
1
-3.33%
48,283,134.66
42.60
1973
2
-1.35%
47,633,557.73
42.90
1973
3
-1.63%
46,855,557.08
43.30
1973
4
-2.57%
45,651,482.19
43.60
1973
5
-1.99%
44,743,113.16
43.90
1973
6
1.21%
45,284,612.98
44.20
1973
7
-1.64%
44,544,018.02
44.30
1973
8
2.00%
45,432,800.28
45.10
1973
9
4.24%
47,357,025.65
45.20
1973
10
-6.85%
44,111,713.31
45.60
1973
11
-6.81%
41,109,786.16
45.90
1973
12
1.70%
41,808,828.91
46.20
1974
1
-2.47%
40,774,954.71
46.60
1974
2
4.57%
42,640,261.62
47.20
1974
3
-4.82%
40,586,434.02
47.80
1974
4
-2.71%
39,488,297.22
48.00
1974
5
0.46%
39,668,850.38
48.60
1974
6
-11.35%
35,167,686.88
49.00
1974
7
-3.76%
33,843,706.90
49.40
1974
8
-10.01%
30,454,736.47
50.00
1974
9
2.38%
31,178,625.11
50.60
1974
10
3.74%
32,345,777.98
51.10
1974
11
-6.09%
30,375,328.78
51.50
1974
12
8.63%
32,997,561.58
51.90
1975
1
10.81%
36,563,783.12
52.10
1975
2
4.97%
38,382,335.68
52.50
1975
3
1.49%
38,953,092.34
52.70
1975
4
6.71%
41,567,871.15
52.90
1975
5
2.89%
42,771,104.55
53.20
1975
6
0.43%
42,955,875.10
53.60
1975
7
-7.00%
39,950,573.90
54.20
1975
8
-0.85%
39,609,922.74
54.30
1975
9
4.97%
41,579,035.37
54.60
1975
10
2.04%
42,427,954.36
54.90
1975
11
-1.18%
41,927,458.07
55.30
1975
12
9.55%
45,929,552.90
55.50
1976
1
4.18%
47,848,552.86
55.60
1976
2
0.80%
48,232,493.50
55.80
1976
3
1.10%
48,760,856.37
55.90
1976
4
-0.38%
48,573,968.87
56.10
1976
5
0.90%
49,011,417.38
56.50
1976
6
2.67%
50,317,746.58
56.80
1976
7
-0.56%
50,035,654.92
57.10
1976
8
2.44%
51,255,465.74
57.40
1976
9
-3.11%
49,662,335.74
57.60
1976
10
-0.37%
49,480,251.48
57.90
1976
11
3.79%
51,353,824.22
58.00
1976
12
-0.54%
51,077,926.16
58.20
1977
1
-2.37%
49,868,092.42
58.50
1977
2
-0.05%
49,841,073.54
59.10
1977
3
-1.19%
49,246,134.95
59.50
1977
4
0.06%
49,277,899.66
60.00
1977
5
0.90%
49,721,286.41
60.30
1977
6
1.28%
50,358,931.40
60.70
1977
7
-2.08%
49,312,160.45
61.00
1977
8
-1.18%
48,732,577.77
61.20
1977
9
-2.20%
47,661,504.28
61.40
1977
10
0.98%
48,129,131.31
61.60
1977
11
-0.08%
48,090,560.71
61.90
1977
12
-3.39%
46,460,118.81
62.10
1978
1
-0.97%
46,008,530.32
62.50
1978
2
0.27%
46,130,759.11
62.90
1978
3
4.83%
48,358,871.66
63.40
1978
4
5.50%
51,020,699.10
63.90
1978
5
0.67%
51,364,352.05
64.50
1978
6
-0.06%
51,332,356.71
65.20
1978
7
7.33%
55,094,065.38
65.70
1978
8
0.40%
55,314,270.64
66.00
1978
9
-2.77%
53,780,129.25
66.50
1978
10
-5.44%
50,855,753.20
67.10
1978
11
1.92%
51,833,622.09
67.40
1978
12
4.19%
54,003,019.09
67.70
1979
1
-1.06%
53,432,231.83
68.30
1979
2
2.34%
54,683,166.44
69.10
1979
3
2.43%
56,012,460.86
69.80
1979
4
-1.89%
54,952,131.53
70.60
1979
5
2.42%
56,280,675.40
71.50
1979
6
1.42%
57,080,336.91
72.30
1979
7
5.01%
59,942,536.48
73.10
1979
8
1.54%
60,865,921.76
73.80
1979
9
-3.35%
58,825,381.46
74.60
1979
10
-0.32%
58,635,708.07
75.20
1979
11
4.40%
61,218,022.49
75.90
1979
12
3.31%
63,245,845.82
76.70
1980
1
4.40%
66,026,039.67
77.80
1980
2
-8.78%
60,230,388.82
78.90
1980
3
-1.16%
59,530,481.41
80.10
1980
4
5.04%
62,528,518.81
81.00
1980
5
6.86%
66,819,653.56
81.80
1980
6
4.97%
70,140,228.84
82.70
1980
7
3.50%
72,598,421.87
82.70
1980
8
2.84%
74,657,173.50
83.30
1980
9
3.32%
77,139,352.39
84.00
1980
10
4.61%
80,699,098.49
84.80
1980
11
-1.24%
79,694,572.13
85.50
1980
12
0.01%
79,702,531.63
86.30
1981
1
-3.07%
77,255,524.08
87.00
1981
2
4.14%
80,456,453.90
87.90
1981
3
1.29%
81,497,394.50
88.50
1981
4
-1.62%
80,179,361.62
89.10
1981
5
0.86%
80,866,970.67
89.80
1981
6
-2.02%
79,236,489.61
90.60
1981
7
0.80%
79,872,413.59
91.60
1981
8
-8.30%
73,240,860.08
92.30
1981
9
1.73%
74,505,910.72
93.20
1981
10
3.04%
76,773,669.87
93.40
1981
11
1.18%
77,679,114.52
93.70
1981
12
-4.80%
73,947,316.99
94.00
1982
1
-1.91%
72,532,042.26
94.30
1982
2
-2.74%
70,541,370.27
94.60
1982
3
5.47%
74,399,499.36
94.50
1982
4
0.57%
74,823,314.23
94.90
1982
5
-5.27%
70,879,662.74
95.80
1982
6
0.24%
71,052,500.57
97.00
1982
7
0.79%
71,616,641.08
97.50
1982
8
12.10%
80,279,657.97
97.70
1982
9
8.88%
87,409,615.34
97.90
1982
10
4.50%
91,342,975.03
98.20
1982
11
1.36%
92,581,128.17
98.00
1982
12
3.93%
96,215,634.80
97.60
Click to show 474 more rows
Remember, returns are based on the average closing price across the entire month. Some losses are offset by dividend returns.
Dollar-cost averaging
Dollar-cost averaging is an alternative to investing the full lump-sum of $1,000,000.00 up-front. Instead, the capital is invested over a period of time.
Consider a strategy in which $1,000,000.00 was invested in the S&P 500 over a period of no more than 24 months beginning in 1942. This would result in a final amount of $81,510,352.73, including dividend reinvestments. In this particular case, dollar-cost average returns are less than the returns of a lump-sum investment (which ends with $96,215,634.80).
Year
Month
Contribution ($)
Amount ($)
1942
1
41666.66
40,360.20
1942
2
41666.66
77,840.79
1942
3
41666.66
115,087.32
1942
4
41666.66
159,385.29
1942
5
41666.66
212,315.48
1942
6
41666.66
264,835.90
1942
7
41666.66
306,380.64
1942
8
41666.66
353,576.33
1942
9
41666.66
426,489.95
1942
10
41666.66
478,017.49
1942
11
41666.66
524,951.84
1942
12
41666.66
603,255.34
1943
1
41666.66
686,211.72
1943
2
41666.66
756,908.55
1943
3
41666.66
828,628.28
1943
4
41666.66
908,089.83
1943
5
41666.66
970,286.07
1943
6
41666.66
1,036,803.46
1943
7
41666.66
1,029,352.50
1943
8
41666.66
1,098,185.81
1943
9
41666.66
1,133,974.70
1943
10
41666.66
1,126,012.65
1943
11
41666.66
1,188,162.82
1943
12
41666.82
1,274,728.18
1944
1
-
1,271,620.54
1944
2
-
1,312,825.47
1944
3
-
1,295,646.62
1944
4
-
1,324,190.56
1944
5
-
1,392,284.84
1944
6
-
1,434,317.12
1944
7
-
1,419,177.10
1944
8
-
1,401,789.75
1944
9
-
1,442,211.73
1944
10
-
1,438,115.60
1944
11
-
1,475,508.10
1944
12
-
1,525,442.60
1945
1
-
1,582,390.69
1945
2
-
1,587,372.72
1945
3
-
1,633,428.94
1945
4
-
1,701,393.15
1945
5
-
1,738,608.74
1945
6
-
1,709,132.66
1945
7
-
1,721,210.42
1945
8
-
1,844,785.00
1945
9
-
1,928,056.55
1945
10
-
1,997,583.44
1945
11
-
2,038,027.47
1945
12
-
2,125,640.30
1946
1
-
2,138,091.65
1946
2
-
2,080,836.59
1946
3
-
2,221,695.66
1946
4
-
2,233,204.98
1946
5
-
2,225,641.54
1946
6
-
2,168,942.38
1946
7
-
2,133,727.94
1946
8
-
1,825,991.60
1946
9
-
1,791,807.20
1946
10
-
1,791,570.99
1946
11
-
1,852,380.87
1946
12
-
1,869,419.19
1947
1
-
1,949,240.61
1947
2
-
1,877,651.94
1947
3
-
1,815,724.11
1947
4
-
1,790,989.35
1947
5
-
1,861,207.91
1947
6
-
1,985,790.11
1947
7
-
1,954,834.28
1947
8
-
1,912,475.32
1947
9
-
1,970,361.78
1947
10
-
1,955,979.06
1947
11
-
1,934,025.35
1947
12
-
1,917,297.26
1948
1
-
1,832,005.03
1948
2
-
1,867,158.17
1948
3
-
2,020,034.46
1948
4
-
2,127,704.05
1948
5
-
2,225,306.16
1948
6
-
2,181,757.01
1948
7
-
2,127,464.07
1948
8
-
2,113,042.22
1948
9
-
2,180,415.55
1948
10
-
2,069,195.05
1948
11
-
2,065,924.58
1948
12
-
2,099,585.96
1949
1
-
2,029,721.27
1949
2
-
2,059,992.25
1949
3
-
2,068,512.23
1949
4
-
2,064,730.52
1949
5
-
1,963,294.58
1949
6
-
2,086,264.00
1949
7
-
2,173,270.23
1949
8
-
2,213,937.08
1949
9
-
2,283,494.82
1949
10
-
2,327,963.93
1949
11
-
2,403,427.32
1949
12
-
2,466,637.17
1950
1
-
2,528,863.25
1950
2
-
2,563,639.41
1950
3
-
2,650,448.52
1950
4
-
2,754,198.33
1950
5
-
2,813,817.86
1950
6
-
2,624,628.40
1950
7
-
2,798,840.12
1950
8
-
2,913,834.41
1950
9
-
3,051,406.69
1950
10
-
3,062,881.72
1950
11
-
3,068,845.43
1950
12
-
3,314,741.53
1951
1
-
3,457,565.97
1951
2
-
3,419,104.87
1951
3
-
3,484,968.34
1951
4
-
3,506,873.01
1951
5
-
3,466,717.34
1951
6
-
3,548,760.30
1951
7
-
3,724,966.72
1951
8
-
3,841,773.06
1951
9
-
3,842,863.86
1951
10
-
3,756,269.60
1951
11
-
3,891,990.82
1951
12
-
4,041,203.20
1952
1
-
3,987,372.42
1952
2
-
4,017,266.10
1952
3
-
4,025,420.98
1952
4
-
4,043,931.59
1952
5
-
4,175,150.61
1952
6
-
4,315,720.86
1952
7
-
4,353,721.46
1952
8
-
4,305,452.44
1952
9
-
4,236,098.40
1952
10
-
4,391,455.04
1952
11
-
4,589,467.18
1952
12
-
4,634,850.73
1953
1
-
4,599,000.57
1953
2
-
4,643,016.53
1953
3
-
4,435,340.24
1953
4
-
4,479,815.25
1953
5
-
4,340,597.57
1953
6
-
4,423,663.98
1953
7
-
4,463,426.57
1953
8
-
4,280,119.24
1953
9
-
4,430,637.69
1953
10
-
4,550,630.28
1953
11
-
4,634,213.28
1953
12
-
4,774,347.06
1954
1
-
4,902,123.51
1954
2
-
5,028,716.64
1954
3
-
5,252,520.08
1954
4
-
5,484,814.20
1954
5
-
5,551,897.53
1954
6
-
5,799,362.12
1954
7
-
5,938,213.66
1954
8
-
6,100,909.54
1954
9
-
6,266,283.96
1954
10
-
6,535,871.29
1954
11
-
6,859,613.70
1954
12
-
7,008,366.17
1955
1
-
7,268,008.25
1955
2
-
7,236,289.82
1955
3
-
7,511,863.60
1955
4
-
7,505,950.69
1955
5
-
7,967,198.51
1955
6
-
8,576,221.21
1955
7
-
8,550,551.31
1955
8
-
8,962,382.54
1955
9
-
8,538,923.11
1955
10
-
9,142,296.23
1955
11
-
9,255,402.57
1955
12
-
9,034,404.42
1956
1
-
9,120,178.40
1956
2
-
9,777,386.85
1956
3
-
9,922,362.84
1956
4
-
9,640,718.65
1956
5
-
9,615,458.03
1956
6
-
10,168,237.76
1956
7
-
10,139,286.18
1956
8
-
9,826,100.07
1956
9
-
9,732,398.29
1956
10
-
9,663,058.28
1956
11
-
9,837,858.60
1956
12
-
9,654,616.83
1957
1
-
9,268,840.72
1957
2
-
9,419,045.01
1957
3
-
9,668,087.45
1957
4
-
10,070,298.48
1957
5
-
10,267,090.51
1957
6
-
10,505,504.37
1957
7
-
9,958,681.07
1957
8
-
9,586,280.56
1957
9
-
9,021,014.06
1957
10
-
8,858,596.43
1957
11
-
8,886,771.23
1957
12
-
9,093,717.90
1958
1
-
9,157,544.40
1958
2
-
9,379,060.17
1958
3
-
9,463,139.85
1958
4
-
9,799,823.16
1958
5
-
10,067,866.82
1958
6
-
10,377,027.20
1958
7
-
10,797,742.91
1958
8
-
11,115,600.99
1958
9
-
11,600,130.10
1958
10
-
11,985,979.00
1958
11
-
12,245,167.81
1958
12
-
12,766,161.66
1959
1
-
12,604,665.62
1959
2
-
12,958,375.08
1959
3
-
13,209,305.15
1959
4
-
13,442,505.10
1959
5
-
13,361,008.37
1959
6
-
13,925,855.50
1959
7
-
13,881,500.35
1959
8
-
13,367,435.55
1959
9
-
13,391,061.90
1959
10
-
13,480,662.01
1959
11
-
13,947,513.65
1959
12
-
13,740,284.67
1960
1
-
13,244,364.30
1960
2
-
13,101,570.88
1960
3
-
13,309,135.45
1960
4
-
13,226,014.65
1960
5
-
13,753,479.82
1960
6
-
13,451,436.50
1960
7
-
13,651,979.49
1960
8
-
13,280,542.25
1960
9
-
13,058,230.68
1960
10
-
13,520,603.35
1960
11
-
13,884,394.60
1960
12
-
14,637,891.89
1961
1
-
15,278,170.37
1961
2
-
15,797,177.01
1961
3
-
16,258,297.56
1961
4
-
16,463,697.59
1961
5
-
16,285,856.65
1961
6
-
16,281,306.60
1961
7
-
16,906,341.21
1961
8
-
16,814,758.54
1961
9
-
17,040,588.63
1961
10
-
17,853,775.55
1961
11
-
18,061,416.53
1961
12
-
17,431,591.56
1962
1
-
17,764,447.17
1962
2
-
17,825,022.41
1962
3
-
17,300,085.77
1962
4
-
16,057,061.47
1962
5
-
14,224,509.71
1962
6
-
14,611,040.67
1962
7
-
15,052,737.41
1962
8
-
14,963,423.51
1962
9
-
14,536,019.98
1962
10
-
15,582,738.28
1962
11
-
16,303,248.08
1962
12
-
16,979,296.72
1963
1
-
17,250,207.55
1963
2
-
17,231,526.14
1963
3
-
18,089,341.45
1963
4
-
18,499,891.58
1963
5
-
18,539,967.87
1963
6
-
18,313,429.96
1963
7
-
18,868,536.31
1963
8
-
19,414,519.44
1963
9
-
19,511,569.82
1963
10
-
19,451,752.91
1963
11
-
19,917,302.80
1963
12
-
20,580,586.31
1964
1
-
20,885,159.92
1964
2
-
21,317,699.83
1964
3
-
21,678,630.86
1964
4
-
21,943,188.21
1964
5
-
21,866,241.39
1964
6
-
22,732,370.55
1964
7
-
22,453,747.41
1964
8
-
22,895,063.95
1964
9
-
23,346,139.62
1964
10
-
23,564,880.70
1964
11
-
23,213,687.49
1964
12
-
23,868,496.32
1965
1
-
24,101,228.71
1965
2
-
24,182,106.28
1965
3
-
24,558,776.77
1965
4
-
24,984,281.70
1965
5
-
23,858,151.40
1965
6
-
23,882,699.71
1965
7
-
24,388,674.62
1965
8
-
25,265,718.74
1965
9
-
25,896,560.79
1965
10
-
26,175,201.25
1965
11
-
26,119,811.51
1965
12
-
26,637,101.28
1966
1
-
26,522,450.24
1966
2
-
25,498,063.87
1966
3
-
26,344,843.64
1966
4
-
25,025,604.26
1966
5
-
24,885,579.74
1966
6
-
24,890,158.19
1966
7
-
23,454,131.76
1966
8
-
22,697,773.58
1966
9
-
22,569,665.29
1966
10
-
23,769,482.37
1966
11
-
23,939,623.17
1966
12
-
24,928,399.57
1967
1
-
25,858,233.30
1967
2
-
26,539,271.36
1967
3
-
27,068,058.38
1967
4
-
27,625,032.68
1967
5
-
27,351,039.93
1967
6
-
27,895,986.64
1967
7
-
28,412,523.53
1967
8
-
28,882,440.48
1967
9
-
28,910,576.32
1967
10
-
28,077,450.43
1967
11
-
28,951,146.19
1967
12
-
28,946,083.03
1968
1
-
27,713,854.20
1968
2
-
27,281,731.85
1968
3
-
29,371,983.89
1968
4
-
30,123,228.85
1968
5
-
31,009,060.40
1968
6
-
31,024,230.67
1968
7
-
30,424,246.64
1968
8
-
31,491,433.20
1968
9
-
32,347,111.08
1968
10
-
32,924,750.35
1968
11
-
33,347,937.25
1968
12
-
32,018,977.59
1969
1
-
31,942,592.45
1969
2
-
31,331,277.32
1969
3
-
32,043,829.87
1969
4
-
33,169,687.04
1969
5
-
31,520,715.98
1969
6
-
30,195,165.06
1969
7
-
30,109,527.34
1969
8
-
30,298,773.03
1969
9
-
30,706,721.27
1969
10
-
31,013,009.73
1969
11
-
29,453,835.04
1969
12
-
29,280,342.65
1970
1
-
28,344,516.46
1970
2
-
28,914,882.91
1970
3
-
28,120,389.56
1970
4
-
24,971,182.12
1970
5
-
24,903,787.67
1970
6
-
25,033,923.88
1970
7
-
25,848,973.66
1970
8
-
27,482,964.46
1970
9
-
28,167,154.26
1970
10
-
28,225,392.92
1970
11
-
30,245,864.82
1970
12
-
31,489,175.31
1971
1
-
32,796,312.34
1971
2
-
33,725,051.49
1971
3
-
34,964,063.38
1971
4
-
34,576,705.41
1971
5
-
34,024,911.16
1971
6
-
33,867,388.42
1971
7
-
33,353,581.09
1971
8
-
34,182,885.26
1971
9
-
33,545,824.95
1971
10
-
32,079,361.11
1971
11
-
34,377,398.60
1971
12
-
35,897,752.95
1972
1
-
36,646,925.97
1972
2
-
37,606,933.76
1972
3
-
38,080,366.76
1972
4
-
37,784,905.58
1972
5
-
37,979,911.25
1972
6
-
37,788,546.42
1972
7
-
39,218,346.16
1972
8
-
38,743,623.69
1972
9
-
38,905,350.57
1972
10
-
40,949,518.21
1972
11
-
41,896,073.20
1972
12
-
42,310,576.91
1973
1
-
40,903,698.71
1973
2
-
40,353,400.99
1973
3
-
39,694,307.41
1973
4
-
38,674,259.37
1973
5
-
37,904,722.48
1973
6
-
38,363,461.25
1973
7
-
37,736,056.40
1973
8
-
38,489,000.09
1973
9
-
40,119,133.16
1973
10
-
37,369,823.71
1973
11
-
34,826,701.27
1973
12
-
35,418,904.62
1974
1
-
34,543,044.35
1974
2
-
36,123,263.88
1974
3
-
34,383,336.56
1974
4
-
33,453,035.38
1974
5
-
33,605,993.38
1974
6
-
29,792,772.95
1974
7
-
28,671,145.74
1974
8
-
25,800,134.43
1974
9
-
26,413,386.30
1974
10
-
27,402,155.36
1974
11
-
25,732,863.15
1974
12
-
27,954,322.48
1975
1
-
30,975,494.43
1975
2
-
32,516,105.37
1975
3
-
32,999,629.46
1975
4
-
35,214,774.05
1975
5
-
36,234,109.20
1975
6
-
36,390,640.03
1975
7
-
33,844,659.21
1975
8
-
33,556,072.05
1975
9
-
35,224,231.96
1975
10
-
35,943,404.97
1975
11
-
35,519,402.88
1975
12
-
38,909,830.67
1976
1
-
40,535,536.97
1976
2
-
40,860,797.38
1976
3
-
41,308,407.00
1976
4
-
41,150,082.77
1976
5
-
41,520,673.08
1976
6
-
42,627,347.21
1976
7
-
42,388,369.52
1976
8
-
43,421,748.46
1976
9
-
42,072,107.22
1976
10
-
41,917,852.12
1976
11
-
43,505,074.14
1976
12
-
43,271,343.44
1977
1
-
42,246,416.72
1977
2
-
42,223,527.32
1977
3
-
41,719,517.19
1977
4
-
41,746,427.09
1977
5
-
42,122,048.06
1977
6
-
42,662,237.48
1977
7
-
41,775,451.57
1977
8
-
41,284,450.41
1977
9
-
40,377,076.28
1977
10
-
40,773,232.73
1977
11
-
40,740,557.13
1977
12
-
39,359,306.62
1978
1
-
38,976,737.44
1978
2
-
39,080,285.18
1978
3
-
40,967,860.32
1978
4
-
43,222,862.78
1978
5
-
43,513,992.94
1978
6
-
43,486,887.66
1978
7
-
46,673,669.12
1978
8
-
46,860,218.92
1978
9
-
45,560,550.68
1978
10
-
43,083,126.67
1978
11
-
43,911,541.29
1978
12
-
45,749,374.76
1979
1
-
45,265,824.76
1979
2
-
46,325,570.62
1979
3
-
47,451,700.04
1979
4
-
46,553,427.97
1979
5
-
47,678,921.55
1979
6
-
48,356,365.42
1979
7
-
50,781,115.79
1979
8
-
51,563,373.90
1979
9
-
49,834,703.08
1979
10
-
49,674,018.75
1979
11
-
51,861,660.70
1979
12
-
53,579,558.17
1980
1
-
55,934,836.31
1980
2
-
51,024,973.73
1980
3
-
50,432,037.87
1980
4
-
52,971,865.06
1980
5
-
56,607,156.85
1980
6
-
59,420,226.30
1980
7
-
61,502,717.17
1980
8
-
63,246,815.95
1980
9
-
65,349,626.75
1980
10
-
68,365,312.94
1980
11
-
67,514,315.09
1980
12
-
67,521,058.09
1981
1
-
65,448,043.15
1981
2
-
68,159,753.35
1981
3
-
69,041,600.01
1981
4
-
67,925,010.95
1981
5
-
68,507,528.09
1981
6
-
67,126,244.41
1981
7
-
67,664,975.85
1981
8
-
62,046,967.23
1981
9
-
63,118,671.68
1981
10
-
65,039,833.95
1981
11
-
65,806,893.41
1981
12
-
62,645,451.58
1982
1
-
61,446,482.80
1982
2
-
59,760,058.58
1982
3
-
63,028,523.88
1982
4
-
63,387,564.27
1982
5
-
60,046,647.54
1982
6
-
60,193,069.41
1982
7
-
60,670,988.53
1982
8
-
68,009,978.34
1982
9
-
74,050,216.40
1982
10
-
77,382,414.29
1982
11
-
78,431,332.17
1982
12
-
81,510,352.73
Click to show 474 more rows
Data Sources
The information on this page is derived from Robert Shiller's book, Irrational Exuberance and the accompanying dataset, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly CPI logs.
Note that S&P index value for the current quarter is based on a moving average of closing prices, per Robert Shiller's methodology. The inflation data used is based on annual CPI averages.
About the author
Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.
