What if you'd held MSFT?
A $1,000 investment in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) at the month-end close of 1986-03 would be worth $6.98M at the close of 2026-08 — +697500.0% total return, dividends reinvested.
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. Click any year for the full story.
Every year, $1,000 from 1986
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | $1,000 | — |
| 1987 | $1,563 | +56.3% |
| 1988 | $1,563 | 0.0% |
| 1989 | $2,625 | +68.0% |
| 1990 | $5,500 | +109.5% |
| 1991 | $9,750 | +77.3% |
| 1992 | $9,875 | +1.3% |
| 1993 | $9,813 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | $14,938 | +52.2% |
| 1995 | $23,438 | +56.9% |
| 1996 | $46,313 | +97.6% |
| 1997 | $80,563 | +74.0% |
| 1998 | $142,625 | +77.0% |
| 1999 | $169,875 | +19.1% |
| 2000 | $112,125 | -34.0% |
| 2001 | $110,875 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | $90,375 | -18.5% |
| 2003 | $101,750 | +12.6% |
| 2004 | $108,188 | +6.3% |
| 2005 | $117,000 | +8.1% |
| 2006 | $124,438 | +6.4% |
| 2007 | $121,813 | -2.1% |
| 2008 | $73,875 | -39.4% |
| 2009 | $133,938 | +81.3% |
| 2010 | $126,938 | -5.2% |
| 2011 | $155,688 | +22.6% |
| 2012 | $140,438 | -9.8% |
| 2013 | $199,250 | +41.9% |
| 2014 | $234,250 | +17.6% |
| 2015 | $279,188 | +19.2% |
| 2016 | $360,313 | +29.1% |
| 2017 | $539,125 | +49.6% |
| 2018 | $655,000 | +21.5% |
| 2019 | $959,750 | +46.5% |
| 2020 | $1.39M | +44.9% |
| 2021 | $1.8M | +29.6% |
| 2022 | $1.52M | -15.7% |
| 2023 | $2.54M | +67.2% |
| 2024 | $2.46M | -3.3% |
| 2025 | $2.45M | -0.3% |
| 2026 | $3.05M | +24.6% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought MSFT was 1986-06 ($0.06): $1,000 then is $8.14M today. The worst was 2025-06 ($504): $1,000 then is $970.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in MSFT be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) at the start of 1986 would be worth about $6.98M today, a total return of +697500.0%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What is the best year to have bought MSFT?
The best year-start to have invested $1,000 in MSFT was 1990, which turned into $1.16M — a +109.5% total return. The worst year-start was 2008, worth $25,055 today.
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 MSFT have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1986-03 would have grown to about $5.73M on $16,300 invested.
Did MSFT beat the S&P 500?
There is not enough overlapping history to compare MSFT with the S&P 500 index directly.
Is this investment advice?
No. What If I Held is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) historical total-return data from 1986-03 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.
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. What If I Held is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.