If you invested $1,000 in TLT — what it would be worth today
A $1,000 investment in iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) in January 2016 would be worth $856 as of August 2026 with dividends reinvested — -1.5% a year. Use the dropdowns above to try any amount, ticker, or starting month back to July 2002.
Over the same period, the same $1,000 would be worth $4,684 in the S&P 500 (SPY) and $7,427 in the Nasdaq-100 (QQQ). TLT trailed both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq-100 over that period.
What $1,000 in TLT would be worth today, by starting month#
each bar = one starting month, held to today$1,000 invested in TLT, by starting year#
| Invested in | Worth today | Same in QQQ | Multiple | Annualized |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $856 | $7,427 | 0.9× | -1.5% |
| 2017 | $886 | $6,141 | 0.9× | -1.3% |
| 2018 | $845 | $4,475 | 0.8× | -1.9% |
| 2019 | $828 | $4,470 | 0.8× | -2.5% |
| 2020 | $676 | $3,403 | 0.7× | -5.8% |
| 2021 | $640 | $2,353 | 0.6× | -7.7% |
| 2022 | $673 | $2,029 | 0.7× | -8.4% |
| 2023 | $873 | $2,482 | 0.9× | -3.8% |
| 2024 | $936 | $1,742 | 0.9× | -2.6% |
| 2025 | $990 | $1,382 | 1.0× | -0.6% |
Methodology#
Investments are assumed made at the first trading day's close of the chosen year. "Dividends reinvested" uses split- and dividend-adjusted closes (a standard total-return approximation; taxes and fees excluded). "Price-only" uses split-adjusted closes. TLT data begins July 2002; values as of August 2026 and refresh daily. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.
See the live TLT chart and fundamentals on the TLT quote page or compare with the same investment in SPY.
FAQ
- How much would $1,000 invested in TLT be worth today?
- A $1,000 investment in iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) in January 2016 would be worth about $856 as of August 2026, with dividends reinvested. That works out to about -1.5% a year.
- How far back does the TLT calculation go?
- TLT data begins July 2002. You can pick any starting month from then to the present and see what your investment would be worth today.
- Does this include dividends?
- Yes. The default "dividends reinvested" view uses split- and dividend-adjusted closing prices — a standard total-return approximation that excludes taxes and fees. A price-only view (split-adjusted, no dividends) is also available.