Nasdaq-100 Calculator: QQQ Growth vs the S&P 500
Free Nasdaq-100 calculator: project QQQ growth with monthly investing, and see 39 years of Nasdaq-100 vs S&P 500 returns, crashes and recoveries.
Investment Parameters
LiveEvery field editable at a glance, no tabs
Instant answer
If you invest $1,000 upfront and $500/month for 20 years at a 10% annual return, you could reach about $381,027.
In today's money, at 2.5% inflation a year, that's worth about $232,530.
You put in $121,000. Interest earned adds about $260,027. Fees reduce the result by about $4,749.
Millionaire path
To aim for $1,000,000 in 20 years, try about $1,307/month.
Your projected total
$381,027
After 20 years at a 10% annual return
Total Invested
$121,000
Your contributions
Interest earned
$260,027
214.90% return
Total Fees Paid
$4,749
You could lose $4,749 to fees over 20 years.
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Purchasing Power Analysis
Worth in today's purchasing power:
$232,530
This is what your final balance would be worth in today's money
Nominal value in future dollars:
$381,027
In 20 years at 2.5% annual inflation
Why the difference? Due to 2.5% inflation, your $381,027 in 20 years will have the same purchasing power as $232,530 today. This means goods and services that cost $232,530 today will cost $381,027 in the future.
Wealth Growth
Investment growth report
Printed on
Assumptions
- Initial deposit
- $1,000
- Monthly contribution
- $500
- Time horizon
- 20 years
- Annual return (nominal)
- 10.00%
- Annual management fee
- 0.18%
- Inflation
- 2.50%
- Currency
- USD
Key results
- Final balance
- $381,027
- Total invested
- $121,000
- Total growth
- $260,027
| Year | Invested | Balance |
|---|---|---|
| Year 0 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Year 1 | $7,000 | $7,433 |
| Year 2 | $13,000 | $14,526 |
| Year 3 | $19,000 | $22,348 |
| Year 4 | $25,000 | $30,973 |
| Year 5 | $31,000 | $40,485 |
| Year 6 | $37,000 | $50,974 |
| Year 7 | $43,000 | $62,540 |
| Year 8 | $49,000 | $75,294 |
| Year 9 | $55,000 | $89,359 |
| Year 10 | $61,000 | $104,868 |
| Year 11 | $67,000 | $121,971 |
| Year 12 | $73,000 | $140,830 |
| Year 13 | $79,000 | $161,627 |
| Year 14 | $85,000 | $184,560 |
| Year 15 | $91,000 | $209,849 |
| Year 16 | $97,000 | $237,736 |
| Year 17 | $103,000 | $268,487 |
| Year 18 | $109,000 | $302,398 |
| Year 19 | $115,000 | $339,792 |
| Year 20 | $121,000 | $381,027 |
Nasdaq-100 Calculator: what QQQ could grow to
The Nasdaq-100 has risen about 14% a year since 1987, well ahead of the S&P 500. It also fell 73% in the dot-com crash and took until 2014 to get back. This calculator projects a lump sum or a monthly plan; the tables below show what the index actually did, good years and bad.
Against about 9% for the S&P 500 on the same price-only basis. Source: Nasdaq via FRED; Damodaran, NYU Stern.
Nasdaq-100 vs S&P 500 returns
Over every period since 1987 the Nasdaq-100 has beaten the S&P 500. Most of the lead came from two runs: the late 1990s, when it rose more than 30% a year, and the 2010s, when a handful of tech companies became the largest in the world.
| Period | Nasdaq-100 (price) | S&P 500 (price) | S&P 500 (with dividends) | $10,000 in the Nasdaq-100 became |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 years (2016–2025) | 18.6% | 12.8% | 14.7% | $54,971 |
| 20 years (2006–2025) | 14.6% | 8.9% | 10.9% | $153,476 |
| 30 years (1996–2025) | 13.4% | 8.4% | 10.3% | $438,191 |
| 39 years (1987–2025) | 14.2% | 8.9% | 11.2% | $1,785,579 |
Nasdaq-100 returns by year
Every calendar year from 1987, when the FRED data starts, next to the S&P 500. The average hides how uneven the ride was, so read a few rows before you pick a return for the calculator.
| Year | Nasdaq-100 (price) | S&P 500 (price) | $10,000 from 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20.2% | 16.4% | $1,785,579 |
| 2024 | 24.9% | 23.3% | $1,485,906 |
| 2023 | 53.8% | 24.2% | $1,189,870 |
| 2022 | −33.0% | −19.4% | $773,621 |
| 2021 | 26.6% | 26.9% | $1,154,098 |
| 2020 | 47.6% | 16.3% | $911,413 |
| 2019 | 38.0% | 28.9% | $617,572 |
| 2018 | −1.0% | −6.2% | $447,632 |
| 2017 | 31.5% | 19.4% | $452,332 |
| 2016 | 5.9% | 9.5% | $343,938 |
| 2015 | 8.4% | −0.7% | $324,819 |
| 2014 | 17.9% | 11.4% | $299,574 |
| 2013 | 35.0% | 29.6% | $254,013 |
| 2012 | 16.8% | 13.4% | $188,171 |
| 2011 | 2.7% | −0.0% | $161,080 |
| 2010 | 19.2% | 12.8% | $156,839 |
| 2009 | 53.5% | 23.5% | $131,554 |
| 2008 | −41.9% | −38.5% | $85,683 |
| 2007 | 18.7% | 3.5% | $147,439 |
| 2006 | 6.8% | 13.6% | $124,241 |
| 2005 | 1.5% | 3.0% | $116,343 |
| 2004 | 11.1% | 9.0% | $114,582 |
| 2003 | 48.2% | 26.4% | $103,179 |
| 2002 | −37.6% | −23.4% | $69,606 |
| 2001 | −32.7% | −13.0% | $111,523 |
| 2000 | −36.8% | −10.1% | $165,596 |
| 1999 | 102.0% | 19.5% | $262,204 |
| 1998 | 85.3% | 26.7% | $129,836 |
| 1997 | 20.6% | 31.0% | $70,066 |
| 1996 | 42.5% | 20.3% | $58,084 |
| 1995 | 42.5% | 34.1% | $40,749 |
| 1994 | 1.5% | −1.5% | $28,589 |
| 1993 | 10.6% | 7.1% | $28,165 |
| 1992 | 8.9% | 4.5% | $25,471 |
| 1991 | 65.0% | 26.3% | $23,397 |
| 1990 | −10.4% | −6.6% | $14,181 |
| 1989 | 26.2% | 27.3% | $15,829 |
| 1988 | 13.5% | 12.4% | $12,546 |
| 1987 | 10.5% | 2.0% | $11,049 |
The price of those returns
The Nasdaq-100 holds 100 companies and leans heavily on a few large tech stocks, so it falls harder than the S&P 500 when they fall.
| Episode | Nasdaq-100 fall | Back to its peak by | S&P 500 fall | Back to its peak by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com crash (2000–2002) | −73.5% | 2014 | −40.1% | 2013 |
| Financial crisis (2008) | −41.9% | 2010 | −38.5% | 2013 |
| Rate hikes (2022) | −33.0% | 2023 | −19.4% | 2023 |
A lump sum invested at the end of 1999 needed 15 years to break even. Someone investing every month recovered far sooner, because the crash let them buy cheaply for three years. If you're putting in a lump sum, that difference matters. For the S&P 500 alternative, see the VOO calculator, which starts from Vanguard's 0.03% expense ratio.
Why the calculator starts at 10%
Plugging in 14% assumes the next 20 years look like the last 39, tech boom included. That may happen. It's a bet on a sector, though, not a long-run average. The calculator starts at 10%, the S&P 500's return since 1928, and you can raise it to see the upside. The QQQ fee (0.18% a year) is already entered.
To compare with the broader market, run the same numbers in the S&P 500 calculator, or read the S&P 500 historical returns by decade.
Related guides
Built and maintained by Oscar Gallego Ruiz. Historical data through 2025. Methodology and sources.
Disclaimer: WealthSim is an independent educational tool for financial simulation and is not affiliated with any financial institution, including Wealthsimple. All calculations are for educational purposes and do not constitute financial advice.
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