What if you'd held HISF?
A $1,000 investment in First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) at the month-end close of 2014-08 would be worth $1,413 at the close of 2026-09 — +41.3% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $4,748.
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 2014
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $1,000 | — |
| 2015 | $944 | -5.6% |
| 2016 | $1,056 | +11.9% |
| 2017 | $1,122 | +6.2% |
| 2018 | $1,065 | -5.0% |
| 2019 | $1,234 | +15.8% |
| 2020 | $1,199 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | $1,321 | +10.2% |
| 2022 | $1,189 | -10.0% |
| 2023 | $1,265 | +6.4% |
| 2024 | $1,293 | +2.2% |
| 2025 | $1,402 | +8.4% |
| 2026 | $1,396 | -0.4% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought HISF was 2016-01 ($28.83): $1,000 then is $1,517 today. The worst was 2026-02 ($44.47): $1,000 then is $984.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in HISF be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) at the start of 2014 would be worth about $1,413 today, a total return of +41.3%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for HISF?
First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF)'s strongest calendar year since 2014 was 2019, a +15.8% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,158 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2022, at -10.0%.
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 HISF have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2014-08 would have grown to about $17,553 on $14,600 invested.
Did HISF 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 $4,748. HISF trailed the S&P 500 by +70.2% 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 High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) historical total-return data from 2014-08 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.