What if you'd held BAC?
A $1,000 investment in Bank of America Corporation (BAC) at the month-end close of 1973-02 would be worth $42,368 at the close of 2026-08 — +4136.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $69,018.
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. Click any year for the full story.
Every year, $1,000 from 1973
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | $1,000 | — |
| 1974 | $190 | -81.0% |
| 1975 | $247 | +30.1% |
| 1976 | $307 | +24.4% |
| 1977 | $288 | -6.1% |
| 1978 | $304 | +5.4% |
| 1979 | $345 | +13.4% |
| 1980 | $342 | -0.9% |
| 1981 | $377 | +10.3% |
| 1982 | $475 | +26.0% |
| 1983 | $693 | +45.9% |
| 1984 | $908 | +31.1% |
| 1985 | $1,146 | +26.1% |
| 1986 | $1,115 | -2.7% |
| 1987 | $929 | -16.7% |
| 1988 | $1,526 | +64.3% |
| 1989 | $2,658 | +74.2% |
| 1990 | $1,373 | -48.3% |
| 1991 | $2,541 | +85.1% |
| 1992 | $3,319 | +30.6% |
| 1993 | $3,272 | -1.4% |
| 1994 | $3,127 | -4.4% |
| 1995 | $4,997 | +59.8% |
| 1996 | $7,216 | +44.4% |
| 1997 | $9,185 | +27.3% |
| 1998 | $9,303 | +1.3% |
| 1999 | $8,001 | -14.0% |
| 2000 | $7,641 | -4.5% |
| 2001 | $10,903 | +42.7% |
| 2002 | $12,490 | +14.6% |
| 2003 | $15,007 | +20.2% |
| 2004 | $18,237 | +21.5% |
| 2005 | $18,675 | +2.4% |
| 2006 | $22,541 | +20.7% |
| 2007 | $18,297 | -18.8% |
| 2008 | $6,753 | -63.1% |
| 2009 | $7,258 | +7.5% |
| 2010 | $6,448 | -11.2% |
| 2011 | $2,700 | -58.1% |
| 2012 | $5,666 | +109.8% |
| 2013 | $7,622 | +34.5% |
| 2014 | $8,821 | +15.7% |
| 2015 | $8,399 | -4.8% |
| 2016 | $11,202 | +33.4% |
| 2017 | $15,200 | +35.7% |
| 2018 | $12,921 | -15.0% |
| 2019 | $18,889 | +46.2% |
| 2020 | $16,692 | -11.6% |
| 2021 | $24,972 | +49.6% |
| 2022 | $19,023 | -23.8% |
| 2023 | $19,941 | +4.8% |
| 2024 | $26,692 | +33.9% |
| 2025 | $34,176 | +28.0% |
| 2026 | $39,680 | +16.1% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought BAC was 1974-12 ($0.30): $1,000 then is $209,172 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($63.17): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in BAC be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Bank of America Corporation (BAC) at the start of 1973 would be worth about $42,368 today, a total return of +4136.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for BAC?
Bank of America Corporation (BAC)'s strongest calendar year since 1973 was 2012, a +109.8% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,098 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1974, at -81.0%.
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 BAC have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1973-02 would have grown to about $1.96M on $64,300 invested.
Did BAC beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $69,018. BAC trailed the S&P 500 by +38.6% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. What If I'd Held is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Bank of America Corporation (BAC) historical total-return data from 1973-02 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. What If I'd Held is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.