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“I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years.”

— Warren Buffett

This inspiring quote from Warren Buffett teaches us the importance of considering our investment time horizon when approaching any given investment: Could we envision ourselves holding the stock we are considering for many years? Even a five year holding period potentially?

For “buy-and-hold” investors taking a long-term view, what’s important isn’t the short-term stock market fluctuations that will inevitably occur, but what happens over the long haul. Looking back 5 years to 2016, investors considering an investment into shares of T-Mobile US Inc (NASD: TMUS) may have been pondering this very question and thinking about their potential investment result over a full five year time horizon. Here’s how that would have worked out.

Start date: 01/27/2016
$10,000

01/27/2016
$34,128

01/26/2021
End date: 01/26/2021
Start price/share: $38.50
End price/share: $131.41
Starting shares: 259.74
Ending shares: 259.74
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: 241.32%
Average annual return: 27.81%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $34,128.42

The above analysis shows the five year investment result worked out exceptionally well, with an annualized rate of return of 27.81%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 5 years ago into $34,128.42 today (as of 01/26/2021). On a total return basis, that’s a result of 241.32% (something to think about: how might TMUS shares perform over the next 5 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]

One more piece of investment wisdom to leave you with:
“Value investing means really asking what are the best values, and not assuming that because something looks expensive that it is, or assuming that because a stock is down in price and trades at low multiples that it is a bargain.” — Bill Miller