Which was the better investment since 2015, Berkshire Hathaway or S&P 500 (SPY)?

S&P 500 (SPY) was the better investment. $1,000 invested in S&P 500 (SPY) in 2015 would be worth $4,521 today, compared to $3,477 for Berkshire Hathaway.

What would $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway vs S&P 500 (SPY) be worth today?

$1,000 invested in Berkshire Hathaway in 2015 would be worth $3,477 today (+247.7%). The same $1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) would be worth $4,521 (+352.1%).

How do Berkshire Hathaway and S&P 500 (SPY) compare to the S&P 500 since 2015?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2015 would be worth $4,521 today (+352.1%). Berkshire Hathaway returned $3,477 and S&P 500 (SPY) returned $4,521 over the same period.

Berkshire Hathaway vs S&P 500 (SPY): $1,000 invested since 2015

BRK-B vs SPY · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2015 would be worth

Berkshire Hathaway

$3,477

+247.7%

S&P 500 (SPY)Winner

$4,521

+352.1%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $4,521(+352.1%)

Growth of $1,000

Berkshire Hathaway vs. S&P 500 (SPY) vs. S&P 500, 2015 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Berkshire Hathaway vs. S&P 500 (SPY), 2015 to present

Year	Berkshire Hathaway	Return	S&P 500 (SPY)	Return	S&P 500
2015	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2016	$902	-9.8%	$991	-0.9%	$991
2017	$1,141	+26.5%	$1,189	+20.0%	$1,189
2018	$1,490	+30.6%	$1,502	+26.3%	$1,502
2019	$1,428	-4.1%	$1,466	-2.4%	$1,466
2020	$1,560	+9.2%	$1,780	+21.4%	$1,780
2021	$1,583	+1.5%	$2,086	+17.2%	$2,086
2022	$2,175	+37.4%	$2,570	+23.2%	$2,570
2023	$2,165	-0.5%	$2,359	-8.2%	$2,359
2024	$2,667	+23.2%	$2,845	+20.6%	$2,845
2025	$3,257	+22.1%	$3,591	+26.2%	$3,591
2026	$3,339	+2.5%	$4,178	+16.3%	$4,178

Which came out ahead

From a $1,000 stake at the start of 2015, S&P 500 (SPY) came out ahead of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B). That $1,000 grew to $4,521 in SPY versus $3,477 in BRK-B as of 2026-06-01, roughly $1,044 more in the end.

In total-return terms the order is clear. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +352.1% against Berkshire Hathaway at +247.7%, a gap of about 104.4 percentage points over the 11.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 13.9% a year for SPY against 11.4% for BRK-B.

Because S&P 500 (SPY) is itself a broad index fund, this matchup measures a single position against the market rather than against another single stock. All figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.

This is a record of what already happened, not financial advice or a recommendation of either name. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Other start years

Berkshire Hathaway vs S&P 500 (SPY) from a different starting point

Since 2000 Since 2005 Since 2010 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Berkshire Hathaway since 2015+247.7%S&P 500 (SPY) since 2015+352.1%

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For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.