Try your own numbers
The calculator buys at the start of a year, so its answer differs from the exact-date result above.
it would be worth today
$2,098
+$1,098 profit2.10x13.8% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,218
Includes the fund’s 0.4% yearly fee, roughly $29.73 over this time.
Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,933
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
$2,371.00
Total Profit
$1,371.00
Multiplier
2.37x
CAGR
18.8%
Max Drawdown
-23.8%
Inflation-Adjusted
$1,970.26
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested 5 years ago compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Gold ETF (GLD) | $2,371.00 | 2.37x |
| S&P 500 | $1,890.73 | 1.89x |
| Gold | $2,438.45 | 2.44x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,104.12 | 1.10x |
Dividends
Gold ETF (GLD) 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.
Gold ETF (GLD) charges a yearly fee of 0.4%. It’s already taken out of the fund’s price, so the results above include it; at today’s rate it came to roughly $30.31 on this investment. Source
Historical Context
GLD holds physical gold bullion.
This page always measures from exactly 5 years before today, using that day's closing price (adjusted for later splits and dividends). The start date moves forward one day at a time, so the result updates daily.
Frequently Asked Questions
A $1,000 investment in Gold ETF (GLD) 5 years ago (on September 29, 2021) would be worth approximately $2,371.00 today — a 2.37x return ($1,371.00 profit) over 5.0 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 closing price exactly 5 years before today (the next trading day if markets were closed), held until today. The start date moves forward daily. No fees or taxes 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 of2021 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.
$1,000 in Gold ETF (GLD), by year
$1,000 in Gold ETF (GLD):1 year ago5 years ago10 years ago