What if you'd held FVD?
A $1,000 investment in First Trust VL Dividend (FVD) at the month-end close of 2003-08 would be worth $7,943 at the close of 2026-09 — +694.3% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $11,830.
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 2026-09, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 2003
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | $1,000 | — |
| 2004 | $1,167 | +16.7% |
| 2005 | $1,212 | +3.9% |
| 2006 | $1,668 | +37.6% |
| 2007 | $1,595 | -4.4% |
| 2008 | $1,229 | -23.0% |
| 2009 | $1,465 | +19.3% |
| 2010 | $1,700 | +16.0% |
| 2011 | $1,853 | +9.0% |
| 2012 | $2,062 | +11.3% |
| 2013 | $2,613 | +26.7% |
| 2014 | $3,028 | +15.9% |
| 2015 | $3,065 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | $3,656 | +19.3% |
| 2017 | $4,113 | +12.5% |
| 2018 | $3,969 | -3.5% |
| 2019 | $5,024 | +26.6% |
| 2020 | $5,023 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | $6,284 | +25.1% |
| 2022 | $5,958 | -5.2% |
| 2023 | $6,203 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $6,825 | +10.0% |
| 2025 | $7,382 | +8.2% |
| 2026 | $8,123 | +10.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought FVD was 2004-04 ($5.86): $1,000 then is $8,553 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($50.23): $1,000 then is $998.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in FVD be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in First Trust VL Dividend (FVD) at the start of 2003 would be worth about $7,943 today, a total return of +694.3%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for FVD?
First Trust VL Dividend (FVD)'s strongest calendar year since 2003 was 2006, a +37.6% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,376 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -23.0%.
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 FVD have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2003-08 would have grown to about $98,159 on $27,800 invested.
Did FVD beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested (the S&P 500 Total Return index) would be worth $11,830. FVD trailed the S&P 500 by +32.9% 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
First Trust VL Dividend (FVD) historical total-return data from 2003-08 to 2026-09, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends, the same convention used by major brokerages. End-of-day and live prices come from EODHD; parts of the deep historical series are carried over from Yahoo Finance data. 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 (EODHD): 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 EODHD and Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-09-04. Not financial advice.