What if you'd held QDEF?
A $1,000 investment in Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF) at the month-end close of 2012-12 would be worth $5,391 at the close of 2026-09 — +439.1% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $6,907.
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 2012
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $1,000 | — |
| 2013 | $1,335 | +33.5% |
| 2014 | $1,523 | +14.1% |
| 2015 | $1,513 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | $1,747 | +15.5% |
| 2017 | $2,044 | +17.0% |
| 2018 | $1,960 | -4.1% |
| 2019 | $2,448 | +24.9% |
| 2020 | $2,526 | +3.2% |
| 2021 | $3,183 | +26.0% |
| 2022 | $2,835 | -10.9% |
| 2023 | $3,331 | +17.5% |
| 2024 | $4,036 | +21.2% |
| 2025 | $4,740 | +17.4% |
| 2026 | $5,391 | +13.7% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought QDEF was 2012-12 ($16.97): $1,000 then is $5,391 today. The worst was 2026-09 ($91.48): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in QDEF be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF) at the start of 2012 would be worth about $5,391 today, a total return of +439.1%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for QDEF?
Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF)'s strongest calendar year since 2012 was 2013, a +33.5% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,335 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2022, at -10.9%.
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 QDEF have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2012-12 would have grown to about $41,859 on $16,600 invested.
Did QDEF 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 $6,907. QDEF trailed the S&P 500 by +22.0% 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
Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF) historical total-return data from 2012-12 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.