What if you'd held BF-B?
A $1,000 investment in Brown Forman Inc Class B (BF-B) at the month-end close of 1980-03 would be worth $168,225 at the close of 2026-08 — +16722.5% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $75,502.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included. Click any year for the full story.
Every year, $1,000 from 1980
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $1,000 | — |
| 1981 | $1,309 | +30.9% |
| 1982 | $1,302 | -0.6% |
| 1983 | $1,179 | -9.4% |
| 1984 | $1,122 | -4.9% |
| 1985 | $1,698 | +51.4% |
| 1986 | $2,286 | +34.6% |
| 1987 | $2,023 | -11.5% |
| 1988 | $3,408 | +68.5% |
| 1989 | $5,347 | +56.9% |
| 1990 | $4,355 | -18.6% |
| 1991 | $5,302 | +21.7% |
| 1992 | $5,489 | +3.5% |
| 1993 | $6,008 | +9.5% |
| 1994 | $6,511 | +8.4% |
| 1995 | $8,019 | +23.2% |
| 1996 | $10,317 | +28.7% |
| 1997 | $12,740 | +23.5% |
| 1998 | $17,771 | +39.5% |
| 1999 | $13,702 | -22.9% |
| 2000 | $16,298 | +18.9% |
| 2001 | $15,668 | -3.9% |
| 2002 | $16,695 | +6.6% |
| 2003 | $24,340 | +45.8% |
| 2004 | $25,824 | +6.1% |
| 2005 | $37,405 | +44.8% |
| 2006 | $36,294 | -3.0% |
| 2007 | $42,412 | +16.9% |
| 2008 | $37,622 | -11.3% |
| 2009 | $40,141 | +6.7% |
| 2010 | $54,034 | +34.6% |
| 2011 | $63,637 | +17.8% |
| 2012 | $76,176 | +19.7% |
| 2013 | $92,405 | +21.3% |
| 2014 | $108,817 | +17.8% |
| 2015 | $124,649 | +14.5% |
| 2016 | $114,412 | -8.2% |
| 2017 | $177,351 | +55.0% |
| 2018 | $158,439 | -10.7% |
| 2019 | $227,809 | +43.8% |
| 2020 | $270,344 | +18.7% |
| 2021 | $253,939 | -6.1% |
| 2022 | $231,443 | -8.9% |
| 2023 | $203,889 | -11.9% |
| 2024 | $138,172 | -32.2% |
| 2025 | $97,706 | -29.3% |
| 2026 | $108,511 | +11.1% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought BF-B was 1980-04 ($0.17): $1,000 then is $170,240 today. The worst was 2021-05 ($71.85): $1,000 then is $396.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in BF-B be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Brown Forman Inc Class B (BF-B) at the start of 1980 would be worth about $168,225 today, a total return of +16722.5%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for BF-B?
Brown Forman Inc Class B (BF-B)'s strongest calendar year since 1980 was 1988, a +68.5% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,685 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2024, at -32.2%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in BF-B have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1980-03 would have grown to about $1.15M on $55,800 invested.
Did BF-B beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $75,502. BF-B beat the S&P 500 by +122.8% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Brown Forman Inc Class B (BF-B) historical total-return data from 1980-03 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.