Try your own numbers
it would be worth today
$7,559
+$6,559 profit7.56x12.1% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $11,839
Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$6,575
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
$7,558.68
Total Profit
$6,558.68
Multiplier
7.56x
CAGR
12.1%
Max Drawdown
-24.3%
Inflation-Adjusted
$4,973.43
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested in 2009 compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Berkshire Hathaway | $7,558.68 | 7.56x |
| S&P 500 | $11,839.20 | 11.8x |
| Gold | $4,850.40 | 4.85x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,421.02 | 1.42x |
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 2009
- In November 2009, Berkshire signed a merger agreement to acquire railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). sec.gov
- In 2009, a gallon of gas averaged $2.35, a movie ticket averaged $7.50 and the new iPhone 3GS started at $199 with a two-year contract. eia.govapple.comvariety.com
- During 2009 itself, Berkshire Hathaway fell 0.4%, #59 of the 66 investments we track. The best was Ford (+318%); the worst was Citigroup (−52%). Full 2009 results →
$1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway, year by year
Of the 66 investments we track that were available at the start of 2009, Berkshire Hathaway ranks #44 by growth to today — just behind Qualcomm and ahead of Johnson & Johnson. See the full 2009 ranking →
Berkshire Hathaway started 2009 28% below its start-of-2008 high, after falling 28% in 2008. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2010, and has been above it since the start of 2011. Today's $7,559 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 14 of the 17 full years since. It has trailed the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still does. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Mar 2022 ($5,314) to Sep 2022 ($4,021), a drop of 24%. At its lowest month-end, in Feb 2009, it was worth $772.22.
| When | Worth | Change | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2009 | $1,000 | — | $1,000 |
| Start of 2010 | $996 | −0.4% | $1,265 |
| Start of 2011 | $1,210 | +21% | $1,455 |
| Start of 2012 | $1,169 | −3.4% | $1,486 |
| Start of 2013 | $1,402 | +20% | $1,724 |
| Start of 2014 | $1,768 | +26% | $2,282 |
| Start of 2015 | $2,245 | +27% | $2,594 |
| Start of 2016 | $1,967 | −12% | $2,630 |
| Start of 2017 | $2,465 | +25% | $2,945 |
| Start of 2018 | $2,967 | +20% | $3,588 |
| Start of 2019 | $3,051 | +2.8% | $3,430 |
| Start of 2020 | $3,437 | +13% | $4,510 |
| Start of 2021 | $3,437 | +0.0% | $5,340 |
| Start of 2022 | $4,526 | +32% | $6,873 |
| Start of 2023 | $4,663 | +3.0% | $5,628 |
| Start of 2024 | $5,454 | +17% | $7,108 |
| Start of 2025 | $6,788 | +24% | $8,886 |
| Start of 2026 | $7,476 | +10% | $10,475 |
| Today | $7,559 | +1.1% | $11,839 |
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 2009, Berkshire Hathaway was priced at $66.46 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 15.05 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 2015 (−12%).
Frequently Asked Questions
A $1,000 investment in Berkshire Hathaway at the start of 2009 would be worth approximately $7,558.68 today — a 7.56x return ($6,558.68 profit) over 17.7 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 2009 (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 of2009 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.
Other investments from 2009
NVIDIA · 2009
What If You Invested $1,000 in NVIDIA in 2009?
Apple · 2009
What If You Invested $1,000 in Apple in 2009?
Amazon · 2009
What If You Invested $1,000 in Amazon in 2009?
Google · 2009
What If You Invested $1,000 in Google in 2009?
See how every stock and crypto ranked since 2009 →
$1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway, by year
$1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway:1 year ago5 years ago10 years ago
Compare:Berkshire Hathaway vs S&P 500JPMorgan vs Berkshire Hathaway