Photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org

“Only buy something that you’d be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years.”

— Warren Buffett

One of the most important things investors can learn from Warren Buffett, is about how they approach their time horizon for an investment into a stock under consideration. Because immediately after buying shares of a given stock, investors will then be able to check on the day-to-day (and even minute-by-minute) market value. Some days the stock market will be up, other days down. These daily fluctuations can often distract from the long-term view. Today, we look at the result of a decade-long holding period for an investor who was considering Autodesk Inc (NASD: ADSK) back in 2011, bought the stock, ignored the market’s ups and downs, and simply held through to today.

Start date: 04/06/2011
$10,000

04/06/2011
$66,349

04/05/2021
End date: 04/05/2021
Start price/share: $43.47
End price/share: $288.32
Starting shares: 230.04
Ending shares: 230.04
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: 563.26%
Average annual return: 20.82%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $66,349.61

The above analysis shows the decade-long investment result worked out exceptionally well, with an annualized rate of return of 20.82%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 10 years ago into $66,349.61 today (as of 04/05/2021). On a total return basis, that’s a result of 563.26% (something to think about: how might ADSK shares perform over the next 10 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]

Here’s one more great investment quote before you go:
“Don’t look for the needle in the haystack, just buy the haystack.” — John Bogle