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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 Illumina Inc (NASD: ILMN) 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: 12/21/2016
$10,000

12/21/2016
$29,280

12/20/2021
End date: 12/20/2021
Start price/share: $127.82
End price/share: $374.20
Starting shares: 78.24
Ending shares: 78.24
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: 192.76%
Average annual return: 23.97%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $29,280.80

As shown above, the five year investment result worked out exceptionally well, with an annualized rate of return of 23.97%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 5 years ago into $29,280.80 today (as of 12/20/2021). On a total return basis, that’s a result of 192.76% (something to think about: how might ILMN shares perform over the next 5 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]

Here’s one more great investment quote before you go:
“I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money.” — Pablo Picasso