What if you invested $1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) in 2015? (Inflation-Adjusted)
SPY · Index · Adjusted to 2026 dollars using BLS CPI-U data
View nominal (non-adjusted) versionNominal returns can be misleading over long periods. $1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) in 2015 became $3,921 by 2026. Over those 11 years, cumulative CPI inflation reached 39% (BLS CPI-U). Restating the return in constant purchasing power, the real value of your gain in 2015 dollars is $2,821, a real annualized return of +9.7%.
Nominal final value
$3,921
+292.1% total return
Real value (2015 dollars)
$2,821
+182.1% real total return
Real annualized return
+9.7%
vs. +12.9% nominal annualized
Year-by-Year (Inflation-Adjusted)
$1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) since 2015, values in constant 2015 dollars
| Year | Nominal Value | Real Value (2015 $) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| 2016 | $991 | $977 |
| 2017 | $1,189 | $1,147 |
| 2018 | $1,502 | $1,405 |
| 2019 | $1,466 | $1,339 |
| 2020 | $1,780 | $1,601 |
| 2021 | $2,086 | $1,786 |
| 2022 | $2,570 | $2,015 |
| 2023 | $2,359 | $1,782 |
| 2024 | $2,845 | $2,088 |
| 2025 | $3,591 | $2,584 |
| 2026 | $4,178 | $3,006 |
Inflation adjustment uses BLS CPI-U annual data, deflated to 2026 dollars. Nominal stock data from Yahoo Finance (split-adjusted closing prices). Real values are expressed in constant 2015 purchasing-power dollars. For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. See our methodology and full disclaimer.