What if you'd held TLT?
A $1,000 investment in iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) at the month-end close of 2002-07 would be worth $2,298 at the close of 2026-08 — +129.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $8,455.
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 2002
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | $1,000 | — |
| 2003 | $1,016 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | $1,104 | +8.7% |
| 2005 | $1,199 | +8.6% |
| 2006 | $1,208 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | $1,332 | +10.3% |
| 2008 | $1,785 | +33.9% |
| 2009 | $1,395 | -21.8% |
| 2010 | $1,521 | +9.0% |
| 2011 | $2,039 | +34.0% |
| 2012 | $2,088 | +2.4% |
| 2013 | $1,808 | -13.4% |
| 2014 | $2,302 | +27.3% |
| 2015 | $2,261 | -1.8% |
| 2016 | $2,287 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | $2,497 | +9.2% |
| 2018 | $2,457 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | $2,804 | +14.1% |
| 2020 | $3,313 | +18.2% |
| 2021 | $3,161 | -4.6% |
| 2022 | $2,173 | -31.2% |
| 2023 | $2,234 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $2,054 | -8.1% |
| 2025 | $2,141 | +4.2% |
| 2026 | $2,094 | -2.2% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought TLT was 2002-07 ($36.13): $1,000 then is $2,298 today. The worst was 2020-07 ($142): $1,000 then is $587.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in TLT be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) at the start of 2002 would be worth about $2,298 today, a total return of +129.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for TLT?
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT)'s strongest calendar year since 2002 was 2011, a +34.0% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,340 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2022, at -31.2%.
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 TLT have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2002-07 would have grown to about $34,811 on $29,000 invested.
Did TLT beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $8,455. TLT trailed the S&P 500 by +72.8% 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
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) historical total-return data from 2002-07 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.