How Rich You’d Be If You Invested $1,000 in These 5 Major Companies 10 Years Ago

March 6, 2025

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Bet_Noire / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Bet_Noire / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Whether you are formulating a short-term or long-term investment strategy, the thing to remember is that while catching lightning in a bottle with a skyrocketing stock is great, overall, consistency is king.

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Over the past decade, the stock market has seen significant changes, with some companies soaring to new heights while others have faced challenges. Sometimes, it helps to zoom out and take a look at how an investment of $1,000 in five major companies a decade ago would have fared today. And keeping their past successes in mind, should you still invest in any of them now?

  • Price per share in 2015: $0.80

  • Shares owned with $1,000 in 2015: 1,250

  • Current price per share (2025): $127.63

  • Current worth of 2015-bought shares: $159,537.50

Though Nvidia’s price fluctuated throughout 2015, it closed the year with a $0.80 price per share, which was quite a steal and a great investment. Nvidia’s meteoric rise is primarily due to its dominance in the AI and gaming chip market, making it one of the best-performing stocks in the past decade.

Nvidia is currently still a good buy. There are no signs of this company’s success slowing down, especially with efficiency improvements for AI training and inference. The demand outlook for ultra-high-performance processors remains very promising, which is a good indication that the stock will continue to increase.

  • Price per share in 2015: $38.38

  • Shares owned with $1,000 in 2015: 26.05

  • Current price per share (2025): $263.99

  • Current worth of 2015-bought shares: $6,878.32

T-Mobile’s successful merger with Sprint and innovative “Un-carrier” initiatives have propelled its stock to impressive gains.

This company is more than just a cellphone provider and has consistently performed in line with the stock market. This stock is considered a strong buy and is recommended for momentum investors.

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  • Price per Bitcoin in 2015: $430.57

  • Bitcoins owned with $1,000 in 2015: 2.32

  • Current price per Bitcoin (2025): $85,610.76

  • Current worth of 2015-bought Bitcoin: $198,831.22

Bitcoin’s remarkable journey from a niche digital currency to a mainstream investment has resulted in exponential returns and skyrocketing prices.

Though Bitcoin puts up numbers that are hard to ignore, it’s also not always easy to reconcile its volatility through the perception of new investors. Cryptocurrency remains on highly uncertain, if not shaky, ground, and time and again, has put up significant price fluctuations.

However, if you are in a strong financial position and have a high risk tolerance, this could be a good addition to your portfolio.

  • Price per share in 2015: $97.30

  • Shares owned with $1,000 in 2015: 10.28

  • Current price per share (2025): $112.83

  • Current worth of 2015-bought shares: $1,159.89

Despite a roller-coaster ride, Disney’s investment in streaming and theme parks has ensured a positive return over the decade.

There’s no way around the fact that Disney is a major company, and though it has yielded positive returns over the last decade and beyond, it may feel not as flashy as other stocks in your portfolio. Nonetheless, Disney’s streaming profit, in large part due to higher prices and more subscribers on the horizon, is seemingly set to increase rapidly in the coming years.

It is definitely time to buy as shares are trading substantially below their all-time high.

  • Price per share in 2015: $24.95

  • Shares owned with $1,000 in 2015: 40.08

  • Current price per share (2025): $279.23

  • Current worth of 2015-bought shares: $11,191.58

Progressive’s consistent growth in the auto insurance sector has led to a substantial increase in its stock value.

Progressive stock is a strong buy and a great momentum stock. As much as you wish you had grabbed up some shares 10 years ago, this will also more than likely prove to be true 10 years from now, so invest away.

The bottom line is that investing in these five major companies and assets a decade ago would have yielded significantly different outcomes. Though no investment strategy comes with a crystal ball, looking at how big companies have performed in the past can help you predict how they could perform in the future.

This, among many other reasons, highlights the importance of diversification and the potential rewards of long-term investing in the stock market.

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