Try your own numbers
it would be worth today
$8,471
+$7,471 profit8.47x10.8% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $9,112
Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$7,351
US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.
Growth Over Time
Performance Metrics
Total Invested
$1,000.00
Current Value
$8,471.33
Total Profit
$7,471.33
Multiplier
8.47x
CAGR
10.8%
Max Drawdown
-45.9%
Inflation-Adjusted
$5,238.71
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested in 2006 compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Berkshire Hathaway | $8,471.33 | 8.47x |
| S&P 500 | $9,111.58 | 9.11x |
| Gold | $8,216.37 | 8.22x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,508.02 | 1.51x |
Dividends
Berkshire Hathaway paid no dividends over this period, so the whole return came from its share price.
Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.
Back in 2006
- In May 2006, Berkshire agreed to buy 80% of Israel's Iscar Metalworking Companies, a cutting-tool maker, in a deal valuing the group at $5 billion. berkshirehathaway.com
- In 2006, a gallon of gas averaged $2.57 and a movie ticket averaged $6.55. eia.govvariety.com
- During 2006 itself, Berkshire Hathaway rose 23%, #20 of the 62 investments we track. The best was Mastercard (+110%); the worst was AMD (−40%). Full 2006 results →
$1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway, year by year
Of the 62 investments we track that were available at the start of 2006, Berkshire Hathaway ranks #33 by growth to today — just behind Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) and ahead of Starbucks. See the full 2006 ranking →
Berkshire Hathaway started 2006 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 2.3% in 2005. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $8,471 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 16 of the 20 full years since. It was ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2026 but has fallen behind it since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Dec 2007 ($1,599) to Feb 2009 ($865.46), a drop of 46%. At its lowest month-end, in Feb 2009, it was worth $865.46.
| When | Worth | Change | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2006 | $1,000 | — | $1,000 |
| Start of 2007 | $1,229 | +23% | $1,158 |
| Start of 2008 | $1,553 | +26% | $1,222 |
| Start of 2009 | $1,121 | −28% | $770 |
| Start of 2010 | $1,117 | −0.4% | $973 |
| Start of 2011 | $1,356 | +21% | $1,120 |
| Start of 2012 | $1,310 | −3.4% | $1,144 |
| Start of 2013 | $1,572 | +20% | $1,327 |
| Start of 2014 | $1,981 | +26% | $1,756 |
| Start of 2015 | $2,516 | +27% | $1,997 |
| Start of 2016 | $2,205 | −12% | $2,024 |
| Start of 2017 | $2,763 | +25% | $2,266 |
| Start of 2018 | $3,326 | +20% | $2,761 |
| Start of 2019 | $3,420 | +2.8% | $2,640 |
| Start of 2020 | $3,851 | +13% | $3,471 |
| Start of 2021 | $3,852 | +0.0% | $4,110 |
| Start of 2022 | $5,072 | +32% | $5,290 |
| Start of 2023 | $5,226 | +3.0% | $4,332 |
| Start of 2024 | $6,112 | +17% | $5,470 |
| Start of 2025 | $7,607 | +24% | $6,839 |
| Start of 2026 | $8,379 | +10% | $8,062 |
| Today | $8,471 | +1.1% | $9,112 |
Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.
Historical Context
At the start of 2006, Berkshire Hathaway was priced at $59.30 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 16.86 shares. Berkshire Hathaway is Warren Buffett's holding company, owning businesses such as GEICO and BNSF Railway plus a large stock portfolio. This page uses its Class B shares.
Measured from one January to the next, Berkshire Hathaway's best year since then was 2021 (+32%) and its worst was 2008 (−28%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2008 and the start of 2010, the position fell 28% from its high.
Frequently Asked Questions
A $1,000 investment in Berkshire Hathaway at the start of 2006 would be worth approximately $8,471.33 today — a 8.47x return ($7,471.33 profit) over 20.7 years.
Methodology & Sources
Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.
Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2006 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.
Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2006 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.
Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.
Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.
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See how every stock and crypto ranked since 2006 →
$1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway, by year
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