What if you'd held SO?
A $1,000 investment in Southern Company (The) (SO) at the month-end close of 1981-12 would be worth $342,714 at the close of 2026-08 — +34171.4% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $62,897.
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 1981
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | $1,000 | — |
| 1982 | $1,476 | +47.6% |
| 1983 | $1,721 | +16.6% |
| 1984 | $2,223 | +29.2% |
| 1985 | $2,892 | +30.1% |
| 1986 | $3,599 | +24.4% |
| 1987 | $3,468 | -3.6% |
| 1988 | $3,810 | +9.9% |
| 1989 | $5,390 | +41.5% |
| 1990 | $5,610 | +4.1% |
| 1991 | $7,465 | +33.1% |
| 1992 | $8,911 | +19.4% |
| 1993 | $10,781 | +21.0% |
| 1994 | $10,364 | -3.9% |
| 1995 | $13,502 | +30.3% |
| 1996 | $13,108 | -2.9% |
| 1997 | $15,914 | +21.4% |
| 1998 | $18,803 | +18.1% |
| 1999 | $15,985 | -15.0% |
| 2000 | $23,770 | +48.7% |
| 2001 | $31,327 | +31.8% |
| 2002 | $36,848 | +17.6% |
| 2003 | $41,175 | +11.7% |
| 2004 | $47,833 | +16.2% |
| 2005 | $51,454 | +7.6% |
| 2006 | $57,465 | +11.7% |
| 2007 | $63,126 | +9.9% |
| 2008 | $63,141 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | $60,041 | -4.9% |
| 2010 | $72,480 | +20.7% |
| 2011 | $92,007 | +26.9% |
| 2012 | $88,740 | -3.6% |
| 2013 | $89,164 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | $111,669 | +25.2% |
| 2015 | $111,565 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | $122,632 | +9.9% |
| 2017 | $125,595 | +2.4% |
| 2018 | $120,885 | -3.8% |
| 2019 | $183,323 | +51.7% |
| 2020 | $184,476 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | $214,610 | +16.3% |
| 2022 | $232,297 | +8.2% |
| 2023 | $237,439 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $289,007 | +21.7% |
| 2025 | $316,383 | +9.5% |
| 2026 | $342,714 | +8.3% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought SO was 1981-12 ($0.27): $1,000 then is $342,714 today. The worst was 2026-02 ($95.79): $1,000 then is $962.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in SO be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Southern Company (The) (SO) at the start of 1981 would be worth about $342,714 today, a total return of +34171.4%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for SO?
Southern Company (The) (SO)'s strongest calendar year since 1981 was 2019, a +51.7% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,517 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1999, at -15.0%.
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 SO have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1981-12 would have grown to about $2.05M on $53,700 invested.
Did SO beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $62,897. SO beat the S&P 500 by +444.9% 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
Southern Company (The) (SO) historical total-return data from 1981-12 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.