What if you'd held BF-A?
A $1,000 investment in Brown Forman Inc Class A (BF-A) at the month-end close of 1973-05 would be worth $462,758 at the close of 2026-08 — +46175.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $73,444.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1973
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | $1,000 | — |
| 1974 | $537 | -46.3% |
| 1975 | $827 | +54.1% |
| 1976 | $1,027 | +24.2% |
| 1977 | $1,445 | +40.7% |
| 1978 | $2,353 | +62.9% |
| 1979 | $2,643 | +12.3% |
| 1980 | $3,944 | +49.2% |
| 1981 | $5,069 | +28.5% |
| 1982 | $4,998 | -1.4% |
| 1983 | $4,342 | -13.1% |
| 1984 | $4,017 | -7.5% |
| 1985 | $6,050 | +50.6% |
| 1986 | $7,668 | +26.7% |
| 1987 | $6,727 | -12.3% |
| 1988 | $12,470 | +85.4% |
| 1989 | $19,050 | +52.8% |
| 1990 | $16,848 | -11.6% |
| 1991 | $20,850 | +23.8% |
| 1992 | $20,854 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | $23,079 | +10.7% |
| 1994 | $25,426 | +10.2% |
| 1995 | $31,547 | +24.1% |
| 1996 | $39,317 | +24.6% |
| 1997 | $46,766 | +18.9% |
| 1998 | $63,056 | +34.8% |
| 1999 | $49,772 | -21.1% |
| 2000 | $63,088 | +26.8% |
| 2001 | $61,714 | -2.2% |
| 2002 | $65,977 | +6.9% |
| 2003 | $97,294 | +47.5% |
| 2004 | $103,708 | +6.6% |
| 2005 | $147,353 | +42.1% |
| 2006 | $142,175 | -3.5% |
| 2007 | $164,499 | +15.7% |
| 2008 | $140,242 | -14.7% |
| 2009 | $161,873 | +15.4% |
| 2010 | $206,520 | +27.6% |
| 2011 | $240,219 | +16.3% |
| 2012 | $302,267 | +25.8% |
| 2013 | $368,042 | +21.8% |
| 2014 | $443,624 | +20.5% |
| 2015 | $563,591 | +27.0% |
| 2016 | $479,816 | -14.9% |
| 2017 | $707,129 | +47.4% |
| 2018 | $861,432 | +21.8% |
| 2019 | $1.15M | +34.0% |
| 2020 | $1.37M | +18.3% |
| 2021 | $1.29M | -5.4% |
| 2022 | $1.27M | -1.9% |
| 2023 | $1.16M | -8.2% |
| 2024 | $750,271 | -35.6% |
| 2025 | $539,704 | -28.1% |
| 2026 | $609,603 | +13.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought BF-A was 1974-12 ($0.03): $1,000 then is $1.14M today. The worst was 2022-11 ($67.24): $1,000 then is $434.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in BF-A be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Brown Forman Inc Class A (BF-A) at the start of 1973 would be worth about $462,758 today, a total return of +46175.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for BF-A?
Brown Forman Inc Class A (BF-A)'s strongest calendar year since 1973 was 1988, a +85.4% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,854 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1974, at -46.3%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in BF-A have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1973-05 would have grown to about $6.14M on $64,000 invested.
Did BF-A beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $73,444. BF-A beat the S&P 500 by +530.1% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Brown Forman Inc Class A (BF-A) historical total-return data from 1973-05 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.