Wall Street RegretsThe regret calculator.

$1,000 in Microsoft Corporation in 2004 → $28,841 today

If you'd invested $1,000 in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) on January 1, 2004 — at the December 2003 month-end close of $16.79 — and held to the latest close (2026-08-), you'd have $28,841. That's a +2784.1% total return — beating the S&P 500, where the same $1,000 became $6,932.

$1,000 in 2004$28,841Total return+2784.1%Multiple28.8×CAGR+16.0%

Nearby years: 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 all years →

FAQ

How much is $1,000 invested in MSFT in 2004 worth today?

$1,000 invested in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) at the month-end close of 2003-12- would be worth $28,841 at the latest month-end close (2026-08-), a total return of +2784.1% with dividends reinvested.

Did $1,000 in MSFT in 2004 beat the market?

Over the same span, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $6,932 — so Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) beat the index by +316.1%.

What does "month-end close" mean for this calculation?

The scenario invests at the December 2003 month-end close (the price entering 2004) and values the position at the most recent month-end close (2026-08-). Intra-month extremes are shown on the MSFT calculator page.

Is the 2004–2026 return in MSFT typical?

No single year is typical. MSFT's best calendar-year return since 1986 was about +124.8%, and its worst was -62.8%.

Methodology

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) total-return data from January 2004 through the latest month-end close (2026-08-).

The entry price is the 2003 December month-end close and the exit is the latest available month-end close, both from adjusted (split and dividend) Yahoo Finance historical data.

Month-end resolution, no taxes or fees, and history never guarantees the future. For exact-date precision (including buying at a panic low), use the MSFT calculator page.

Full methodology →

Compute your own MSFT scenario

Open the MSFT calculator MSFT hub

Data: Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08-. Not financial advice.