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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

The Warren Buffett investment philosophy calls for a long-term investment horizon, where a five year holding period, or even longer, would fit right into the strategy. How would such a strategy have worked out for an investment into DISH Network Corp (NASD: DISH)? Today, we examine the outcome of a five year investment into the stock back in 2017.

Start date: 11/09/2017
$10,000

11/09/2017
  $3,049

11/08/2022
End date: 11/08/2022
Start price/share: $50.30
End price/share: $15.34
Starting shares: 198.81
Ending shares: 198.81
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: -69.50%
Average annual return: -21.14%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $3,049.89

As shown above, the five year investment result worked out poorly, with an annualized rate of return of -21.14%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 5 years ago into $3,049.89 today (as of 11/08/2022). On a total return basis, that’s a result of -69.50% (something to think about: how might DISH shares perform over the next 5 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]

Another great investment quote to think about:
“A lot of people with high IQs are terrible investors because they’ve got terrible temperaments. You need to keep raw, irrational emotion under control.” — Charlie Munger