What if you'd held PAUG?
A $1,000 investment in Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF (PAUG) at the month-end close of 2019-08 would be worth $1,900 at the close of 2026-08 — +90.0% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $2,634.
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 2019
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $1,000 | — |
| 2020 | $1,098 | +9.8% |
| 2021 | $1,181 | +7.6% |
| 2022 | $1,101 | -6.8% |
| 2023 | $1,295 | +17.7% |
| 2024 | $1,495 | +15.4% |
| 2025 | $1,679 | +12.3% |
| 2026 | $1,813 | +8.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought PAUG was 2020-03 ($23.02): $1,000 then is $2,028 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($46.69): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in PAUG be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF (PAUG) at the start of 2019 would be worth about $1,900 today, a total return of +90.0%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for PAUG?
Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF (PAUG)'s strongest calendar year since 2019 was 2023, a +17.7% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,177 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2022, at -6.8%.
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 PAUG have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2019-08 would have grown to about $12,503 on $8,500 invested.
Did PAUG beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $2,634. PAUG trailed the S&P 500 by +27.9% 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
Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF (PAUG) historical total-return data from 2019-08 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.