What if you'd held QVAL?
A $1,000 investment in Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF (QVAL) at the month-end close of 2014-10 would be worth $2,891 at the close of 2026-09 — +189.1% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $4,701.
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 | $865 | -13.5% |
| 2016 | $974 | +12.6% |
| 2017 | $1,223 | +25.6% |
| 2018 | $1,012 | -17.3% |
| 2019 | $1,255 | +24.0% |
| 2020 | $1,181 | -5.9% |
| 2021 | $1,587 | +34.4% |
| 2022 | $1,400 | -11.8% |
| 2023 | $1,797 | +28.4% |
| 2024 | $2,017 | +12.2% |
| 2025 | $2,238 | +11.0% |
| 2026 | $2,866 | +28.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought QVAL was 2020-03 ($16.23): $1,000 then is $3,821 today. The worst was 2026-09 ($62.02): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in QVAL be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF (QVAL) at the start of 2014 would be worth about $2,891 today, a total return of +189.1%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for QVAL?
Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF (QVAL)'s strongest calendar year since 2014 was 2021, a +34.4% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,344 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2018, at -17.3%.
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 QVAL have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2014-10 would have grown to about $32,286 on $14,400 invested.
Did QVAL 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 $4,701. QVAL trailed the S&P 500 by +38.5% 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
Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF (QVAL) historical total-return data from 2014-10 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.