What if you'd held RLI?
A $1,000 investment in RLI Corp. Common Stock (DE) (RLI) at the month-end close of 1980-03 would be worth $1.06M at the close of 2026-08 — +106373.5% 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 | $636 | -36.4% |
| 1982 | $965 | +51.8% |
| 1983 | $920 | -4.7% |
| 1984 | $1,249 | +35.8% |
| 1985 | $2,879 | +130.4% |
| 1986 | $3,125 | +8.5% |
| 1987 | $2,233 | -28.5% |
| 1988 | $1,839 | -17.7% |
| 1989 | $2,145 | +16.7% |
| 1990 | $3,796 | +77.0% |
| 1991 | $4,453 | +17.3% |
| 1992 | $6,837 | +53.5% |
| 1993 | $7,474 | +9.3% |
| 1994 | $5,938 | -20.6% |
| 1995 | $9,265 | +56.0% |
| 1996 | $12,627 | +36.3% |
| 1997 | $19,138 | +51.6% |
| 1998 | $16,184 | -15.4% |
| 1999 | $16,825 | +4.0% |
| 2000 | $22,473 | +33.6% |
| 2001 | $22,971 | +2.2% |
| 2002 | $28,861 | +25.6% |
| 2003 | $39,233 | +35.9% |
| 2004 | $44,122 | +12.5% |
| 2005 | $53,668 | +21.6% |
| 2006 | $61,595 | +14.8% |
| 2007 | $62,962 | +2.2% |
| 2008 | $69,012 | +9.6% |
| 2009 | $61,394 | -11.0% |
| 2010 | $69,889 | +13.8% |
| 2011 | $106,127 | +51.9% |
| 2012 | $103,320 | -2.6% |
| 2013 | $163,000 | +57.8% |
| 2014 | $178,616 | +9.6% |
| 2015 | $233,914 | +31.0% |
| 2016 | $249,798 | +6.8% |
| 2017 | $250,742 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | $292,600 | +16.7% |
| 2019 | $389,811 | +33.2% |
| 2020 | $460,296 | +18.1% |
| 2021 | $509,401 | +10.7% |
| 2022 | $635,715 | +24.8% |
| 2023 | $659,707 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $841,586 | +27.6% |
| 2025 | $680,561 | -19.1% |
| 2026 | $716,147 | +5.2% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought RLI was 1982-03 ($0.05): $1,000 then is $1.31M today. The worst was 2024-11 ($80.65): $1,000 then is $797.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in RLI be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in RLI Corp. Common Stock (DE) (RLI) at the start of 1980 would be worth about $1.06M today, a total return of +106373.5%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for RLI?
RLI Corp. Common Stock (DE) (RLI)'s strongest calendar year since 1980 was 1985, a +130.4% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,304 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1981, at -36.4%.
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 RLI have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1980-03 would have grown to about $8.41M on $55,800 invested.
Did RLI beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $75,502. RLI beat the S&P 500 by +1310.2% 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
RLI Corp. Common Stock (DE) (RLI) 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.