What if you'd held ZTR?
A $1,000 investment in Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (ZTR) at the month-end close of 1988-09 would be worth $7,988 at the close of 2026-08 — +698.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $28,348.
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 1988
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | $1,000 | — |
| 1989 | $1,173 | +17.3% |
| 1990 | $1,149 | -2.1% |
| 1991 | $1,562 | +36.0% |
| 1992 | $1,614 | +3.3% |
| 1993 | $1,915 | +18.7% |
| 1994 | $1,570 | -18.0% |
| 1995 | $1,840 | +17.2% |
| 1996 | $1,926 | +4.7% |
| 1997 | $2,476 | +28.6% |
| 1998 | $2,556 | +3.2% |
| 1999 | $2,069 | -19.0% |
| 2000 | $2,336 | +12.9% |
| 2001 | $2,719 | +16.4% |
| 2002 | $2,329 | -14.4% |
| 2003 | $2,299 | -1.3% |
| 2004 | $2,623 | +14.1% |
| 2005 | $2,539 | -3.2% |
| 2006 | $3,524 | +38.8% |
| 2007 | $2,979 | -15.4% |
| 2008 | $2,480 | -16.8% |
| 2009 | $3,230 | +30.2% |
| 2010 | $3,264 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | $3,114 | -4.6% |
| 2012 | $3,457 | +11.0% |
| 2013 | $4,232 | +22.4% |
| 2014 | $4,598 | +8.6% |
| 2015 | $4,359 | -5.2% |
| 2016 | $4,796 | +10.0% |
| 2017 | $6,212 | +29.5% |
| 2018 | $4,668 | -24.9% |
| 2019 | $6,751 | +44.6% |
| 2020 | $5,901 | -12.6% |
| 2021 | $7,116 | +20.6% |
| 2022 | $5,598 | -21.3% |
| 2023 | $5,418 | -3.2% |
| 2024 | $6,411 | +18.3% |
| 2025 | $7,605 | +18.6% |
| 2026 | $8,716 | +14.6% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought ZTR was 1989-03 ($0.78): $1,000 then is $8,728 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($6.79): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in ZTR be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (ZTR) at the start of 1988 would be worth about $7,988 today, a total return of +698.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for ZTR?
Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (ZTR)'s strongest calendar year since 1988 was 2019, a +44.6% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,446 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2018, at -24.9%.
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 ZTR have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1988-09 would have grown to about $148,375 on $45,600 invested.
Did ZTR beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $28,348. ZTR trailed the S&P 500 by +71.8% 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
Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (ZTR) historical total-return data from 1988-09 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.