If You'd Bought These Stocks, You'd Be Rich Now

Going Up!

Nothing in the stock market is guaranteed. It's a gamble—and even the people that know the most and understand it the best often lose lots of money. But there is also the opportunity to make lots of money if you make the right choices/guesses/get lucky. Like if you'd bought any of the following stocks...

NOTE: Because of stock split and adjusted prices, the numbers can get a little confusing. So, for this discussion, we have looked at prices non-retroactively-adjusted for any historical splits of the stock.

Apple

Might as well start at the top, with the most valuable company on the planet: Apple!

Apple shares went public in 1980 at a $28 price tag and they hit their highest point ever in 2012 when they were selling for more than $660/share. That's a pretty nice profit. However, it would've been even better if you'd got in on the stock at its lowest point in 2002 when no one seemed to believe in the company and the stock price fell under $14/share.

Daniel L. Lu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Microsoft

It only makes sense to follow Apple with a look at Microsoft. You might, or might not be, a PC hater. But there's certainly nothing to hate about Microsoft stock since it went public in 1986 at about $27/share. There have been ups and downs since then—but in 2024, the company Bill Gates started saw its highest stock price ever: $446/share.

Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Coca-Cola

For decades, you could get stock in Coca-Cola for under $100/share. In fact, you could get it for under $20 if you'd made your move in the early 90s. But regardless, even at $400/share in 2021, it would've been worth your while—as the stock hit $1,300/share just three years later in 2024.

Autiger, Wikimedia Commons

Pepsi

Whether you prefer the taste of Coke or Pepsi, both companies have offered stockholders the opportunity to make a whole lotta money—if they bought in at the right time. And for Pepsi, one of those right times was back at the turn of the century. From 2000 to 2004, you could get Pepsi stock for under $50/share. In April of 2023, it was selling for $190.

Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Snap Inc

Yes, we're talking about SnapChat. What began as a way for people to send naughty photos to each other that would disappear after a few seconds has grown into one of the pre-eminent social media platforms of their generation. Getting in on the $22.70 IPO would've been good, but you also would've had to hold on as the price dipped under six bucks. But if you did, then $76/share was in your future.

Jimmy Baikovicius, Flickr

META

META, AKA Facebook, saw some initial struggles after its much-anticipated $29 IPO. However, if the drop to under $18 didn't scare you off, then you would've seen the money roll in as the stock has continued to climb—peaking at $567 (so far).

LPS.1, Wikimedia Commons

Amazon

Remember when they just sold books? Remember when the stock IPO'd at $18? Remember when it peaked a few years ago at over $3,500? If you'd bought stock years ago, we're pretty sure you'd remember that.

SounderBruce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Google

Now Alphabet, Google IPO'd in 2004 at $85. Since then, you've had many opportunities to get out with a nice profit—including in 2021, when the stock price almost hit $3,000.

OutreachPete, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tesla

Elon Musk didn't start the company, but he sure did turn it into something big after he bought it. From about 2010 to 2013, the stock pretty much hung out in the $20-$30 range. Then it started to rise—and has risen as high as $1,430/share.

Windell Oskay, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

AMC

By the end of the 2010s, AMC was a company on the decline and their stock price of under $3 was indicative of that. But then the social media "ape" traders decided to make AMC a thing again. If you were one of them—or just happened to purchase some falling AMC stock prior to the "apes" getting involved (not sure why, but if you had)—then some very nice profits were in your immediate future as the stock rose to over $55/share.

ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

GameStop

While we're on the topic of those "apes," we should probably mention the most famous stock they took on their backs: GameStop.

Prior to 2021, the highest you ever would've had to pay for a share of GameStop was $62 (and you would've been able to get it for under $30 most of the time). Then the "apes" decided they were gonna give it a boost and they did—right up to $325. It's been heading back down ever since—but if you caught it at the right time, it could've made you rich.

Mike Mozart, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Netflix

Forget Netflix and Chill. What about Netflix and Get Rich? Which is something you could've done had you'd gotten in on the stock in those first few years when it was hanging out between $8-$40/share. Since 2015, Netflix stock has gone over $600 twice and recently hit the $800 mark as well.

Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Nvidia

For about 15 years from 1999 to 2014, Nvidia stock wasn't anything special. It had a few blips, but for a decade and a half, it could be bought for around $10-$30/share. Then things changed. 2015 saw the stock start to rise—eventually hitting $800, before crashing back down. But if you'd held on, then you would be reaping the rewards of 2024 and the almost $1,100/share price.

Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 

Pfizer

Throughout the 80s and 90s, Pfizer gave investors multiple money making opportunities—hitting highs of $87, $107, and $119 per share with various low points in the $25-$60 range. Then came Viagra and the stock got bigger than it ever had before (no pun intended). It was during that time that share prices reached $138.

Norbert Nagel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Walmart

Walmart stock spent the aughts in the $50 range, and prior to the turn of the century, you had moments where you could've got a share for under $25. Either way, when the stock price got over $165 in 2024, you would've been smiling bigger than the company's logo.

SounderBruce, Flickr

Peloton

No one who jumped in on Peloton stock when it IPO'd in 2019 could've imagined what would happen next. For about six or seven months, the stock hung out in the $20-$30 range. Then Covid happened and the world changed, along with the fate of Peloton stock. With everyone stuck at home, Peloton took off like the most intense spin class ever—and by the end of 2020, the price hit $162. It's been downhill since then, but those who got out on top sure gave their bank accounts a good workout.

Phillip Pessar, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Nike

Back in the 80s, if someone had told you to just do it and buy Nike stock—you should've just done it. In fact, if you had done it at the end of 1984, you could've gotten your hands on the stock for under $8/share. In 2021, the stock climbed past $160.

Carson, Brandon, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Procter & Gamble

P&G have been a public company for over 100 years—so, there have no doubt been many opportunities to buy low and sell high in that time. The most recent being the low of $48 around 2009 and the August 2024 price of just over $171/share.

Warren LeMay, Wikimedia Commons

Starbucks

You could've picked up a share of Starbucks for $9 back at the end of 2008. These days, it will cost you almost $9 for a coffee—but at least that share will get you over $100 (and over $120 back in 2021).

Mannivu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Blackberry

This one wont make any sense to the younger generation who never had a Blackberry device, weren't around for their awesome popularity, and/or see the stock price sitting there under $3 these days. But back in 2000, the price was rocking up over $130—before heading back down to $10, and then working its way back up to $214 in 2007.

Michael Pereira, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Uber

In 2020 and 2022, Uber hit lows of $21. While these probably weren't great moments for the company, they were great moments for folks to purchase Uber stock. In 2021, the stock hit a high of $61—and even better, in 2024, the stock price tipped up to over $86 for a moment.

HaeB, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Monster

If you could buy something for $1 and sell it for $190 10 years later, would you do it? Well, in 1996, you could've bought shares of Monster for a buck and in 2006, they were going for $190 each. Now that's a monster profit margin!

Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tractor Supply Co

"Tractors, you say?" "Yes, tractors," we say. From 1995 to 2010, you had ample opportunities to purchase Tractor Supply Co stock for under $50/share (with a low around seven bucks back in 2000). If you had done so, then you would've been smilin' come 2017, as the stock started to rise and rise and rise—surpassing $250 in 2024 and reaching up as high as $290 at one point.

At its best, that's a $283/share profit—meaning $10,000 in 2000 would've been worth over $400,000 in 2024.

Ed!, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dell

We don't really talk much about Dell these days—but they're still around and they're doing well (at least according to their stock price). In May of 2024, Dell stock hit $139/share—which is over $100 a share more than the $34 it was selling for just 20 months prior, in September of 2022.

Jjpwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons