What if you invested monthly in a dividend ETF (SDY) for 15 years?
This looks at investing a fixed amount every month for 15 years into an ETF holding high-quality US stocks that have long raised their dividends. It is seen as relatively stable, yet it still shares in market crashes.
Investment conditions
Asset · Dividend ETF (SDY)
Method · Recurring monthly investment
Period · 2011-07-01 ~ 2026-07-01
Amount · $222 / month
As of · 2026-07-01
Key metrics
These results do not reflect taxes. Based on historical data.
Risk & recovery
As important as returns. This service does not hide maximum drawdown or loss periods.
Maximum drawdown (MDD)
-36.3%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
3months
Months in loss: 3
Recovery period
8months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $40,222 → Final value $90,807 (+125.8%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -36.3%
Why this period and asset
SDY holds high-quality US stocks that have raised dividends for 20+ years (a dividend-aristocrat character). The 15 years from 2011 showed a gentle uptrend, but it did not escape broad market crashes: it fell hard with the whole market in the 2020 pandemic crash and corrected in the 2022 rate hikes. Being centered on quality dividend-growers, it swings less than growth themes, but it did not avoid the declines of crisis phases.
Interpreting the result
A dividend ETF centers on quality companies that have long raised dividends, so it is less volatile than a growth theme, but it is not a 'safe asset.' Even in this window, market crashes brought a clear maximum drawdown and loss periods, with stretches that took time to recover. Investing steadily for a long time can add dividend reinvestment and compounding, but you still cannot avoid the crashes themselves. The comfort of a dividend does not mean your principal is protected.
Caveats & limits
This result simplifies taxes, trading fees and currency effects, and past performance does not guarantee the future. A dividend ETF can still pass through large drawdowns and loss periods in market crashes, and dividends can be cut or suspended depending on conditions. As a dollar asset, the won-based outcome shifts with USD/KRW.
Data sources & limits
- Price data source: Yahoo Finance / FinanceDataReader
- Collected on: 2026-07-23
- Effective trading date: 2026-07-01
- Price basis: Cierre ajustado (refleja dividendos y desdoblamientos de acciones)
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
Is a dividend-aristocrat ETF safe even in a downturn?
It centers on quality dividend-growers and swings less than growth themes, but it fell hard with the market in crashes like 2020. Being called stable does not mean your principal is protected.
Do the dividends keep coming?
It centers on companies with long dividend-growth records, but there is no guarantee dividends persist. They can be cut or suspended with the economy and earnings, so the dividend stream carries its own risk.
Are taxes and currency included?
This simulation simplifies dividends, fees, taxes and currency. In reality, overseas-ETF taxes and currency moves are added and can change the final return.
Related scenarios
📋 Los resultados se basan en datos históricos; las rentabilidades pasadas no garantizan rentabilidades futuras.
📋 Este servicio se ofrece con fines educativos para ayudarte a entender la inversión, no como asesoramiento de inversión.