What if you'd held VCLT?
A $1,000 investment in Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCLT) at the month-end close of 2009-11 would be worth $2,015 at the close of 2026-09 — +101.5% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $9,596.
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 2009
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $1,000 | — |
| 2010 | $1,106 | +10.6% |
| 2011 | $1,300 | +17.5% |
| 2012 | $1,440 | +10.8% |
| 2013 | $1,365 | -5.2% |
| 2014 | $1,589 | +16.4% |
| 2015 | $1,514 | -4.8% |
| 2016 | $1,677 | +10.8% |
| 2017 | $1,873 | +11.7% |
| 2018 | $1,741 | -7.0% |
| 2019 | $2,157 | +23.9% |
| 2020 | $2,443 | +13.3% |
| 2021 | $2,401 | -1.7% |
| 2022 | $1,789 | -25.5% |
| 2023 | $1,989 | +11.2% |
| 2024 | $1,951 | -1.9% |
| 2025 | $2,091 | +7.2% |
| 2026 | $2,049 | -2.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought VCLT was 2009-12 ($34.95): $1,000 then is $2,049 today. The worst was 2020-11 ($85.56): $1,000 then is $837.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in VCLT be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCLT) at the start of 2009 would be worth about $2,015 today, a total return of +101.5%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for VCLT?
Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCLT)'s strongest calendar year since 2009 was 2019, a +23.9% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,239 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2022, at -25.5%.
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 VCLT have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2009-11 would have grown to about $25,087 on $20,300 invested.
Did VCLT 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 $9,596. VCLT trailed the S&P 500 by +79.0% 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
Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCLT) historical total-return data from 2009-11 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.