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What would investing in QQQ (Nasdaq-100) every month have returned?

Results of putting $500 a month into QQQ for 5, 10, 15 and 20 years, and how much the result depended on the start date.

Confluence Zone operator · Data as of September 30, 2026 · Calculated October 1, 2026 · Recomputed monthly

Summary

Putting $500 a month into QQQ for 10 years from October 2016 added up to $60,000. The balance at the end was $180,486, an annual return (IRR) of 20.9%.

The result depended heavily on when it started. Shifting the start month one month at a time since 1999 gives 211 ten-year runs. Their annual return ranged from −5.4% to 24.1%, with a median of 15.9%.

QQQ, $500 a month, results by period

Case	Put in	End balance	Return	Annual return (IRR)	Max drawdown	Max loss vs. money in
5 yearsOct 2021 to Sep 2026	$30,000	$54,046	+80.2%	23.8%	−35.3%	−24.0%
10 yearsOct 2016 to Sep 2026	$60,000	$180,486	+200.8%	20.9%	−35.1%	−3.7%
15 yearsOct 2011 to Sep 2026	$90,000	$478,412	+431.6%	20.0%	−35.1%	−2.5%
20 yearsOct 2006 to Sep 2026	$120,000	$1,063,801	+786.5%	18.8%	−53.5%	−43.3%

10-year monthly investing with different start months (211 runs)

	Annual return (IRR)	Return
Worst startApr 1999	−5.4%	−23.3%
Median	15.9%	+129.3%
Best startSep 2011	24.1%	+257.7%

In 2% of runs, the balance after 10 years was below the money put in.

Annual return (IRR) of putting $500 a month into QQQ for 10 years, by start month. The worst start was Apr 1999 at −5.4%, the best was Sep 2011 at 24.1%, and the median was 15.9%.

How it was calculated

$500 went in on the first trading day of every month, including the first month.
Each buy or sell was charged 0.15% as a cost. Taxes, currency conversion costs and interest on cash are not included.
Dividends were reinvested at the price on each ex-dividend date. Taxes on dividends are not deducted.
Annual return (IRR) is the average yearly return that accounts for when each deposit went in. Max loss vs. money in is the largest gap by which the balance fell below the total put in up to that day.
The as-of date is the last trading day of last month (September 30, 2026). The numbers are recomputed at the start of each month.
Buy and sell decisions use the close, and trades fill at the next trading day's open. See the backtest spec

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Common questions

When was the worst time to start monthly investing in QQQ?

A 10-year run starting in April 1999. Its annual return was −5.4%.

What about 20 years of monthly investing?

The 20-year run from Oct 2006 to Sep 2026 put in $120,000 and ended at $1,063,801, an annual return of 18.8%.

Would the results change with an amount other than $500 a month?

In this QQQ calculation, the returns stay almost the same and only the amounts scale. Only the basket method, which buys whole shares, differs a little.

Are dividends included?

Yes. This QQQ calculation reinvests each dividend at the price on its ex-dividend date. Taxes on dividends are not deducted.

Would the result be the same when investing in a currency other than dollars?

No. This QQQ calculation is in US dollars. Exchange rate changes and the fee and tax differences of locally listed ETFs are not included.