What if you invested monthly in the S&P 500 for 25 years?
Starting in 2001 passes through all three crashes -- the dot-com bust, the 2008 crisis, and 2020 COVID -- the plan that endured the most crises.
Investment conditions
Asset · S&P 500 (SPY)
Method · Recurring monthly investment
Period · 2001-07-01 ~ 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)
-45.9%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
14months
Months in loss: 32
Recovery period
9months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $66,889 → Final value $389,402 (+482.2%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -45.9%
Why this period and asset
July 2001 sat in the middle of the deflating dot-com bubble. The next 25 years include the 2000-2002 dot-com aftermath, the 2008 global financial crisis, the 2020 COVID crash, and the 2022 rate-hike period. The early 2000s in particular were the era of the 'lost decade' debate, when the index languished and early contributions hovered near cost for years.
Interpreting the result
The heart of this window is 'what if you kept contributing through the most crises.' A large 2008 maximum drawdown and a long early-2000s stretch of losses and recovery recurred, and the first several years were a frustrating time when money added barely grew. Dollar-cost averaging kept buying at low prices during these declines, so accumulated share count powered later recoveries. But note that stopping midway would have forfeited those low-price purchases.
Caveats & limits
This is a simplified calculation without taxes, fees, or currency effects. The fact that three past crises recovered does not guarantee future recoveries. As a dollar asset, returns in another currency depend on exchange rates.
Data sources & limits
- Price data source: Yahoo Finance / FinanceDataReader
- Collected on: 2026-07-23
- Effective trading date: 2026-07-01
- Price basis: 复权收盘价(已反映股息与拆股)
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
Are all three crashes really included?
From a 2001 start, the late dot-com decline, the 2008 crisis, and the 2020 COVID crash all fall inside this window, each with its own drawdown and loss period.
Would it have been better to stop during the early slump?
In hindsight, stopping might have missed low-price buying. But that is after-the-fact data, not advice guaranteeing future results.
Are dividends included?
The calculation uses price data and does not separately model dividend reinvestment or taxes. In reality, dividends and taxes affect performance.
Related scenarios
📋 结果基于历史数据计算,过去的收益不代表未来的收益。
📋 本服务旨在帮助理解投资、供教育之用,并非投资建议。