What if you'd held BALT?
A $1,000 investment in Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT) at the month-end close of 2021-07 would be worth $1,349 at the close of 2026-08 — +34.9% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $1,754.
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 2021
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $1,000 | — |
| 2022 | $1,025 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | $1,102 | +7.4% |
| 2024 | $1,212 | +10.0% |
| 2025 | $1,292 | +6.7% |
| 2026 | $1,339 | +3.6% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought BALT was 2022-04 ($25.54): $1,000 then is $1,360 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($34.73): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in BALT be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT) at the start of 2021 would be worth about $1,349 today, a total return of +34.9%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for BALT?
Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT)'s strongest calendar year since 2021 was 2024, a +10.0% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,100 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2022, at +2.5%.
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 BALT have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2021-07 would have grown to about $7,408 on $6,200 invested.
Did BALT beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $1,754. BALT trailed the S&P 500 by +23.1% 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
Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT) historical total-return data from 2021-07 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.