What if you'd held GAM?
A $1,000 investment in General American Investors, Inc. (GAM) at the month-end close of 1980-03 would be worth $110,440 at the close of 2026-08 — +10944.0% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $75,502.
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 | $946 | -5.4% |
| 1982 | $875 | -7.5% |
| 1983 | $940 | +7.5% |
| 1984 | $734 | -22.0% |
| 1985 | $837 | +14.1% |
| 1986 | $934 | +11.6% |
| 1987 | $769 | -17.7% |
| 1988 | $823 | +7.1% |
| 1989 | $1,229 | +49.3% |
| 1990 | $1,276 | +3.8% |
| 1991 | $2,370 | +85.7% |
| 1992 | $2,631 | +11.0% |
| 1993 | $2,207 | -16.1% |
| 1994 | $1,887 | -14.5% |
| 1995 | $2,301 | +21.9% |
| 1996 | $2,701 | +17.4% |
| 1997 | $3,784 | +40.1% |
| 1998 | $4,973 | +31.4% |
| 1999 | $6,944 | +39.6% |
| 2000 | $8,217 | +18.3% |
| 2001 | $8,567 | +4.3% |
| 2002 | $6,241 | -27.2% |
| 2003 | $7,929 | +27.1% |
| 2004 | $8,635 | +8.9% |
| 2005 | $9,760 | +13.0% |
| 2006 | $11,352 | +16.3% |
| 2007 | $12,343 | +8.7% |
| 2008 | $6,390 | -48.2% |
| 2009 | $8,745 | +36.9% |
| 2010 | $10,165 | +16.2% |
| 2011 | $9,625 | -5.3% |
| 2012 | $11,326 | +17.7% |
| 2013 | $15,219 | +34.4% |
| 2014 | $16,658 | +9.5% |
| 2015 | $15,358 | -7.8% |
| 2016 | $16,633 | +8.3% |
| 2017 | $18,711 | +12.5% |
| 2018 | $16,793 | -10.2% |
| 2019 | $22,502 | +34.0% |
| 2020 | $22,316 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | $28,570 | +28.0% |
| 2022 | $24,331 | -14.8% |
| 2023 | $30,862 | +26.8% |
| 2024 | $39,980 | +29.5% |
| 2025 | $51,427 | +28.6% |
| 2026 | $59,378 | +15.5% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought GAM was 1980-03 ($0.61): $1,000 then is $110,440 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($67.81): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in GAM be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in General American Investors, Inc. (GAM) at the start of 1980 would be worth about $110,440 today, a total return of +10944.0%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for GAM?
General American Investors, Inc. (GAM)'s strongest calendar year since 1980 was 1991, a +85.7% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,857 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -48.2%.
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 GAM have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1980-03 would have grown to about $1.29M on $55,800 invested.
Did GAM beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $75,502. GAM beat the S&P 500 by +46.3% 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
General American Investors, Inc. (GAM) historical total-return data from 1980-03 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. 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.