What if you'd held PSO?
A $1,000 investment in Pearson, Plc (PSO) at the month-end close of 1996-11 would be worth $3,530 at the close of 2026-08 — +253.0% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $17,328.
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.
Every year, $1,000 from 1996
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $1,000 | — |
| 1997 | $962 | -3.8% |
| 1998 | $1,546 | +60.7% |
| 1999 | $2,508 | +62.2% |
| 2000 | $1,777 | -29.1% |
| 2001 | $945 | -46.8% |
| 2002 | $746 | -21.0% |
| 2003 | $933 | +25.1% |
| 2004 | $1,053 | +12.9% |
| 2005 | $1,069 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | $1,408 | +31.8% |
| 2007 | $1,403 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | $969 | -30.9% |
| 2009 | $1,531 | +57.9% |
| 2010 | $1,756 | +14.7% |
| 2011 | $2,160 | +23.0% |
| 2012 | $2,321 | +7.4% |
| 2013 | $2,761 | +19.0% |
| 2014 | $2,382 | -13.8% |
| 2015 | $1,448 | -39.2% |
| 2016 | $1,427 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | $1,490 | +4.4% |
| 2018 | $1,851 | +24.2% |
| 2019 | $1,338 | -27.7% |
| 2020 | $1,515 | +13.3% |
| 2021 | $1,422 | -6.2% |
| 2022 | $1,958 | +37.7% |
| 2023 | $2,195 | +12.1% |
| 2024 | $2,943 | +34.1% |
| 2025 | $2,615 | -11.2% |
| 2026 | $3,193 | +22.1% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought PSO was 2003-02 ($3.23): $1,000 then is $5,180 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($17.29): $1,000 then is $968.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in PSO be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Pearson, Plc (PSO) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $3,530 today, a total return of +253.0%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for PSO?
Pearson, Plc (PSO)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 1999, a +62.2% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,622 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2001, at -46.8%.
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 PSO have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-11 would have grown to about $78,574 on $35,800 invested.
Did PSO 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 $17,328. PSO trailed the S&P 500 by +79.6% 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
Pearson, Plc (PSO) historical total-return data from 1996-11 to 2026-08, 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 2026-08. Not financial advice.