What if you'd held GL?
A $1,000 investment in Globe Life Inc. (GL) at the month-end close of 1980-10 would be worth $139,398 at the close of 2026-08 — +13839.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $60,469.
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 1980
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $1,000 | — |
| 1981 | $1,276 | +27.6% |
| 1982 | $1,276 | 0.0% |
| 1983 | $2,083 | +63.2% |
| 1984 | $1,524 | -26.8% |
| 1985 | $1,069 | -29.9% |
| 1986 | $1,269 | +18.7% |
| 1987 | $1,234 | -2.7% |
| 1988 | $1,593 | +29.1% |
| 1989 | $3,021 | +89.6% |
| 1990 | $2,724 | -9.8% |
| 1991 | $3,324 | +22.0% |
| 1992 | $5,048 | +51.9% |
| 1993 | $4,055 | -19.7% |
| 1994 | $3,255 | -19.7% |
| 1995 | $4,310 | +32.4% |
| 1996 | $4,966 | +15.2% |
| 1997 | $8,434 | +69.9% |
| 1998 | $8,303 | -1.6% |
| 1999 | $6,910 | -16.8% |
| 2000 | $9,269 | +34.1% |
| 2001 | $9,566 | +3.2% |
| 2002 | $8,966 | -6.3% |
| 2003 | $11,290 | +25.9% |
| 2004 | $14,290 | +26.6% |
| 2005 | $14,021 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | $16,207 | +15.6% |
| 2007 | $15,510 | -4.3% |
| 2008 | $11,600 | -25.2% |
| 2009 | $11,545 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | $15,883 | +37.6% |
| 2011 | $17,497 | +10.2% |
| 2012 | $21,076 | +20.5% |
| 2013 | $32,297 | +53.2% |
| 2014 | $33,897 | +5.0% |
| 2015 | $36,028 | +6.3% |
| 2016 | $46,931 | +30.3% |
| 2017 | $58,166 | +23.9% |
| 2018 | $48,145 | -17.2% |
| 2019 | $68,531 | +42.3% |
| 2020 | $62,414 | -8.9% |
| 2021 | $62,110 | -0.5% |
| 2022 | $80,552 | +29.7% |
| 2023 | $81,979 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $75,800 | -7.5% |
| 2025 | $95,862 | +26.5% |
| 2026 | $118,248 | +23.4% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought GL was 1980-10 ($1.23): $1,000 then is $139,398 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($182): $1,000 then is $941.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in GL be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Globe Life Inc. (GL) at the start of 1980 would be worth about $139,398 today, a total return of +13839.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for GL?
Globe Life Inc. (GL)'s strongest calendar year since 1980 was 1989, a +89.6% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,896 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1985, at -29.9%.
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 GL have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1980-10 would have grown to about $1.43M on $55,100 invested.
Did GL beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $60,469. GL beat the S&P 500 by +130.5% 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
Globe Life Inc. (GL) historical total-return data from 1980-10 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.