Guides
Learn the "what ifs"
Short, plain-English explainers on how investment returns actually work — the ideas behind the calculator, minus the jargon. Educational only, never financial advice.
What if I'd invested $1,000 in NVIDIA in 2021?
Real, split-adjusted numbers — year-by-year value, the 66% drawdown behind the headline, and a side-by-side vs. the S&P 500 and gold.
Scenario · StocksWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in Tesla in 2019?
From the market's most-shorted stock — split-adjusted numbers, the 74% drawdown, and a comparison vs. the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.
Scenario · IndicesWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 in 2020?
The benchmark through the fastest crash in history — real total-return numbers, year by year, vs. gold and Bitcoin.
Scenario · CommoditiesWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in gold in 2020?
The classic safe haven through the pandemic and record highs — real numbers, year by year, vs. the S&P 500 and Bitcoin.
Scenario · CryptoWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in Bitcoin in 2018?
Buying near the cycle top — the honest version. The 76% drawdown, year-by-year value, and how it compares to the S&P 500 and gold.
Scenario · CryptoWhat if I'd invested $100 in Bitcoin in 2021?
A $100 buy through the cycle top, the 2022 collapse, and the ETF recovery — year by year, vs. the S&P 500 and gold.
Scenario · CryptoWhat if I'd invested $100 in Ethereum in 2020?
$100 before DeFi, NFTs and the Merge — year-by-year value, the swings along the way, and a comparison vs. Bitcoin and the S&P 500.
Scenario · CryptoWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in Solana in 2021?
Through its breakout year and the 96% FTX-era drawdown — real numbers, year by year, vs. Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Scenario · CryptoWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in Dogecoin in 2021?
The meme-coin frenzy and the 90% fall after — a case study in narrative-driven assets, vs. Bitcoin and the S&P 500.
Scenario · StocksWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in Apple in 2019?
From a rare revenue warning to a services-and-buybacks re-rating — split-adjusted numbers, year by year, vs. the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.
Scenario · StocksWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in Microsoft in 2019?
Deep into the cloud turnaround and ahead of the AI bet — real numbers, year by year, and a comparison vs. the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.
Scenario · IndicesWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in the Nasdaq in 2020?
The tech-heavy index through the COVID crash, the rally, and the 2022 selloff — real numbers, year by year, vs. the S&P 500 and gold.
Scenario · CryptoWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in Ethereum in 2021?
Record highs, the Merge, and an 80% drawdown — what a 2021 entry actually returned, year by year, vs. Bitcoin and the S&P 500.
Scenario · CryptoWhat if I'd invested $1,000 in XRP in 2020?
Through the SEC lawsuit, delistings, and the 2023 ruling — a token driven by legal news, year by year, vs. Bitcoin and Ethereum.
ConceptWhat is CAGR?
The one number that turns any total return into a steady per-year rate — so results over different time spans can be compared fairly.
ConceptWhat is maximum drawdown?
The worst peak-to-trough fall an investment suffered — the risk number a headline return leaves out, and how to use it as a stress test.
ConceptWhat is adjusted close price?
Why comparing old raw prices misleads you, and how adjusting for splits and dividends gives the real return. It's what we use for stocks.
ConceptSurvivorship bias in investing
Why studying only the winners makes investing look easier than it was — and why every 'what if' story is a survivor by definition.
ConceptNominal vs. real return
A real return subtracts inflation from the headline figure — the gap between the dollars you have and what they can actually buy.
CryptoWhat if I'd put $100 in Bitcoin?
How to read a "$100 a year ago" result — and what it can and can't tell you about timing, volatility, and luck.
StrategyDollar-cost averaging vs. lump sum
Two ways to put money to work over time, why the results differ, and how to reason about which fits you.
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