Infographic: What Was the Most Profitable Investment for $100 in 1965?

Gelonghui, February 24th｜According to data from New York University's Stern School of Business, the chart below compares the returns of six major asset classes over the past 60 years (from 1965 to 2025). Among them, US stocks have significantly outperformed other asset classes. Assuming an investment of $100 in US stocks in 1965, by 2025 it would have grown to about $43,000 (reflecting the total return of the S&P 500 index, including dividend reinvestment), with an annualized return of 10.4%. During the same period, if $100 were invested in gold or corporate bonds, it would have grown to about $12,000 and $9,241 respectively, with annualized returns of 8.4% and 7.8%. In contrast, government bonds, real estate (tracking the Case-Shiller Home Price Index), and cash (reflecting the yield of three-month US Treasury bills) had lower returns, with $100 investments growing to $2,832, $2,055, and $1,489 respectively, and annualized returns of 5.7%, 5.1%, and 4.5%.