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VFINX · Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares
Over the last 15 years (2011-09 to 2026-09), $10,000 invested in VFINX with dividends reinvested grew to $81,537, 14.93% a year, with a worst peak-to-trough fall of -23.95%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.
Growth of $10,000 · 2011-09 to 2026-09 · dividends reinvested
How VFINX held up in past market crashes
VFINX has been through 5 of the market crashes since 2000 in our data. Its deepest price fall was 56.6% in the 2008 financial crisis, when the S&P 500 fell 56.5%. It took 4.0 years from the bottom to get back to its high. No fund is safe from losses; past falls do not predict future ones.
| Crash | VFINX deepest fall | S&P 500 (SPY) | Peak to bottom | Back to peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | -49.0% | -49.1% | Mar 2000 to Oct 2002 | 4.6 years |
| 2008 financial crisis | -56.6% | -56.5% | Oct 2007 to Mar 2009 | 4.0 years |
| 2018 fourth-quarter selloff | -20.1% | -20.2% | Sep 2018 to Dec 2018 | 4 months |
| 2020 COVID crash | -34.1% | -34.1% | Feb 2020 to Mar 2020 | 5 months |
| 2022 bear market | -25.4% | -25.4% | Jan 2022 to Oct 2022 | 15 months |
Price declines in the fund's listing currency, dividends not included, inside each crash's S&P 500 peak-to-bottom window. See how 50 popular ETFs compare in the crash study.
About VFINX
Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares is a mutual fund designed to track the performance of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, a widely recognized benchmark representing 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. The fund adopts an indexing approach, investing substantially all its assets in the constituent stocks of the S&P 500, with holdings weighted to mirror the index composition. This approach seeks to provide broad exposure to U.S. large-cap equities across diverse sectors including technology, healthcare, financials, and consumer goods. Notably, major positions include leading firms such as Apple, Microsoft, and NVIDIA, contributing to over a third of the fund’s assets. Since its inception in 1976, the fund has established itself as a foundational investment vehicle for both individual and institutional investors looking for diversified, cost-effective access to the U.S. equity market. With a low expense ratio and minimal turnover, the fund emphasizes transparency and efficiency, making it a significant tool for those seeking to match the returns and risk profile of the overall large-cap U.S. stock market.
Put VFINX to the test
Every tool below opens prefilled with VFINX: free, no account needed.
Backtest VFINX →
Full history, any date range, benchmarks, drawdowns, rolling returns.
Would VFINX survive 2008? →
What actually happened to it in the crisis: real drawdown and recovery.
Project it forward →
Monte Carlo simulation of where it could go from here.
Compare VFINX vs VTI →
Head-to-head against the total US market.
Replay $100/mo into VFINX →
Animated growth of steady monthly contributions.
Fundamentals →
Holdings-level financials where available.
Educational use only, not investment advice. Results are hypothetical.Read full disclaimer
This tool is for educational and informational purposes only and does not provide financial, investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Results are hypothetical and based on historical data and assumptions that may be inaccurate. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult a licensed professional before making investment decisions.