Wall Street RegretsThe regret calculator.

What if you'd held VDC?

A $1,000 investment in Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) at the month-end close of 2004-01 would be worth $7,746 at the close of 2026-08 — +674.6% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $6,814.

$1,000 since 2004$7,746Total return+674.6%Multiple7.7×CAGR+9.5%

Your scenario

Dates resolve to the nearest month-end close.
Leave empty for "held until today".
Invested at each month-end. Starts on the buy date.

Result

Worth$7,746Gain+$6,746 (+674.6%)Multiple7.7×CAGR+9.5%

    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.

    2004$7,7462005$7,0482006$6,7922007$5,8632008$5,2032009$6,2372010$5,3522011$4,6682012$4,1092013$3,7002014$2,8902015$2,4912016$2,3542017$2,2152018$1,9802019$2,1482020$1,7032021$1,5362022$1,3062023$1,3302024$1,2992025$1,1462026$1,122

    Every year, $1,000 from 2004

    YearValue of $1,000Year return
    2004$1,000
    2005$1,038+3.8%
    2006$1,202+15.9%
    2007$1,354+12.7%
    2008$1,130-16.6%
    2009$1,317+16.6%
    2010$1,510+14.6%
    2011$1,715+13.6%
    2012$1,905+11.0%
    2013$2,439+28.0%
    2014$2,829+16.0%
    2015$2,994+5.8%
    2016$3,182+6.3%
    2017$3,559+11.8%
    2018$3,282-7.8%
    2019$4,139+26.1%
    2020$4,588+10.9%
    2021$5,397+17.6%
    2022$5,301-1.8%
    2023$5,427+2.4%
    2024$6,149+13.3%
    2025$6,283+2.2%
    2026$7,048+12.2%

    Best and worst month-end to buy

    The best single month-end close to have bought VDC was 2004-01 ($30.26): $1,000 then is $7,746 today. The worst was 2026-02 ($242): $1,000 then is $970.

    FAQ

    What would $1,000 in VDC be worth today?

    A $1,000 investment in Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) at the start of 2004 would be worth about $7,746 today, a total return of +674.6%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.

    What were the best and worst years for VDC?

    Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC)'s strongest calendar year since 2004 was 2013, a +28.0% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,280 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -16.6%.

    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 VDC have grown?

    Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2004-01 would have grown to about $92,001 on $27,200 invested.

    Did VDC beat the S&P 500?

    Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $6,814. VDC beat the S&P 500 by +13.7% 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

    Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) historical total-return data from 2004-01 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.

    Full methodology →

    What if you'd held…

    Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.