What if you invested $1,000 in US Dollar (Cash) in 2015? (Inflation-Adjusted)

USD · Benchmark · Adjusted to 2026 dollars using BLS CPI-U data

View nominal (non-adjusted) version

Nominal returns can be misleading over long periods. $1,000 in US Dollar (Cash) in 2015 became $708 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 $509, a real annualized return of -5.8%.

Nominal final value

$708

-29.2% total return

Real value (2015 dollars)

$509

-49.1% real total return

Real annualized return

-5.8%

vs. -3% nominal annualized

Cumulative CPI-U inflation since 2015: 39% (1 dollar in 2015 = $1.39 in 2026)

Year-by-Year (Inflation-Adjusted)

$1,000 in US Dollar (Cash) since 2015, values in constant 2015 dollars

YearNominal ValueReal Value (2015 $)
2015$1,000$1,000
2016$987$973
2017$966$932
2018$943$882
2019$926$846
2020$915$823
2021$872$747
2022$802$629
2023$769$581
2024$747$548
2025$726$522
2026$708$509

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.