$1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Dec 12, 1980 close was worth $3,418,995.84 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 341,799.6% (19.4% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends. Below: the same $1,000 across 11 more periods, and three ways to buy over the last 10 years.
| Period | From | All at once | A year | Worst fall | S&P 500same $1,000 | Simulator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2000 | Jan 3, 2000 | $400,811 | 25.1% | -81.8% | $8,406 | Open |
| Since the dot-com peakS&P 500 closing high, 24 Mar 2000 | Mar 24, 2000 | $323,503 | 24.3% | -81.2% | $7,941 | Open |
| Since the dot-com crash lowS&P 500 closing low, 9 Oct 2002 | Oct 9, 2002 | $1,650,690 | 36.2% | -60.9% | $15,131 | Open |
| Since the 2007 peakS&P 500 closing high before the 2008 crash, 9 Oct 2007 | Oct 9, 2007 | $66,820 | 24.8% | -60.9% | $6,910 | Open |
| Since the 2008 crash lowS&P 500 closing low, 9 Mar 2009 | Mar 9, 2009 | $134,959 | 32.2% | -43.8% | $15,420 | Open |
| Since 2010 | Jan 4, 2010 | $52,411 | 26.7% | -43.8% | $9,058 | Open |
| Last 10 years | Sep 30, 2016 | $12,976 | 29.2% | -38.5% | $4,168 | Open |
| Since the COVID lowS&P 500 closing low, 23 Mar 2020 | Mar 23, 2020 | $6,199 | 32.3% | -33.4% | $3,748 | Open |
| Last 5 years | Sep 30, 2021 | $2,431 | 19.4% | -33.4% | $1,881 | Open |
| Since the 2022 lowS&P 500 closing low, 12 Oct 2022 | Oct 12, 2022 | $2,472 | 25.6% | -33.4% | $2,257 | Open |
| Last 1 year | Sep 30, 2025 | $1,322 | 32.2% | -13.8% | $1,164 | Open |
$1,000 invested all at once on each start date, to Sep 30, 2026. For $10,000, multiply by ten. The S&P 500 column is the same $1,000 in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) over the same dates.
In the daily closing prices of Apple (AAPL) since Dec 12, 1980, the deepest fall was 81.8%, from the closing high on Mar 22, 2000 to the low on Apr 17, 2003. It got back to that high on Jan 26, 2005, 21 months after the low. Prices are adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends.
The same $1,000 from Sep 30, 2016 to Sep 30, 2026: all at once, spread monthly, or bought after 10% falls.
The first close in Apple's price history is on Dec 12, 1980. $1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Dec 12, 1980 close was worth $3,418,995.84 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 341,799.6% (19.4% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
$1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Jan 3, 2000 close was worth $400,811.38 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 39,981.1% (25.1% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
The S&P 500's closing high before the dot-com crash was on Mar 24, 2000. $1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Mar 24, 2000 close was worth $323,503.09 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 32,250.3% (24.3% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
The S&P 500's COVID-crash closing low was on Mar 23, 2020. $1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Mar 23, 2020 close was worth $6,199.16 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 519.9% (32.3% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
$1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Sep 30, 2021 close was worth $2,430.75 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 143.1% (19.4% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
$1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Sep 30, 2016 close was worth $12,976.49 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 1,197.6% (29.2% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
$1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Sep 30, 2011 close was worth $29,414.81 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 2,841.5% (25.3% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
$1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Sep 29, 2006 close was worth $145,706.08 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 14,470.6% (28.3% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
$1,000 invested in Apple (AAPL) at the Sep 30, 1996 close was worth $2,022,118.45 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a total return of 202,111.8% (28.9% a year), on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
$100 invested in Apple (AAPL) on the trading day nearest the 1st of each month, 121 times from Sep 1, 2016 to Sep 1, 2026 ($12,100.00 in total), was worth $52,430.51 at the Sep 30, 2026 close, a money-weighted return (IRR) of 27.4% a year, on closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
For Apple (AAPL), $1,000 invested all at once at the Sep 30, 2016 close: $12,976.49. The same $1,000 in 121 equal monthly buys from Sep 1, 2016: $4,333.10. Bought after 10% falls: $8,474.61. All values at the Sep 30, 2026 close; a different period can give a different order.
In the daily closing prices of Apple (AAPL) since Dec 12, 1980, the deepest fall was 81.8%, from the closing high on Mar 22, 2000 to the low on Apr 17, 2003. It got back to that high on Jan 26, 2005, 21 months after the low. Prices are adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends.
From Apple's daily closing prices, adjusted for stock splits and with dividends reinvested, from Dec 12, 1980 to Sep 30, 2026. All at once means the whole amount at one day's close. Monthly means equal amounts on the trading day nearest the 1st of each month. Taxes, fees and trading costs are not included. Event dates are S&P 500 closing highs and lows, found in the S&P 500 index fund SPY's prices. SmartFin computes every figure from these prices, with the same engine as its simulator; none is typed by hand.
Every trading day. Figures run to the latest close, currently Sep 30, 2026. Cite that date with any figure. For any other date or amount, use the simulator.
Data: Apple's daily closing prices from Dec 12, 1980 to Sep 30, 2026, adjusted for stock splits and with dividends reinvested. Each figure is $1,000 invested at one day's close and valued at the Sep 30, 2026 close; a start date that is not a trading day uses the nearest one. Monthly buys are on the trading day nearest the 1st of each month. Event dates are S&P 500 closing highs and lows, found in the S&P 500 index fund SPY's prices. Not included: taxes, fees and trading costs. Figures start at the first close in the price history, not at an offer price set before trading began.
How and why: SmartFin computes every figure on this page automatically from those prices after each trading day, with the same engine as its simulator, so that each one can be checked against the prices and rerun. No figure is typed by hand.
Closing price: “the last price at which a stock trades during a regular trading session” (Investor.gov, SEC).
Stock split: “An increase in the number of shares of a corporation's stock” (Investor.gov, SEC).
Dividends reinvested: “cash dividends you receive from the company automatically reinvested into more shares” (Investor.gov, SEC).
Monthly (dollar-cost averaging): “investing your money in equal portions, at regular intervals” (Investor.gov, SEC).
All at once: the whole amount invested at one day's close.
Total return: the change in value as a percentage of the amount invested.
A year (CAGR): the constant yearly rate that turns the amount invested into the final value, final ÷ invested, raised to the power 1 ÷ years, minus 1, with years counted as days ÷ 365. For monthly buys, the IRR: the yearly rate at which every buy, from its own date, grows to the final value.
Worst fall (max drawdown): the largest drop from a closing high to a later close.
SmartFin. "What if you invested in Apple (AAPL)?" Figures as of the Sep 30, 2026 close. https://smartfin.fyi/invest-in-aapl.html
Figures change every trading day, so cite the as-of date with any figure. Reproduce these figures: the simulator reruns $1,000 from Dec 12, 1980 on the same prices, to the latest close in Sep 2026; each row of the table above has its own link.