Walmart Would Be Worth What??? (Insert Wow Emoji Here)

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Sometimes when you play around with the stock market, you get curious and want to play the "what if" game. In many ways, especially at times when the stock market feels "slow," you need that added perspective to appreciate the real value of investing. I own stock in Walmart, and currently one share costs around $97. It's been a good performer in my portfolio and is up over 70% from the time I bought it, so I have no complaints there. But I got to wondering, what if I bought one share of Walmart back in 1970 when the stock first offered its common stock on the public market, what would that one single share be worth today? The answer? $150,000. How much did one share of Walmart cost on the IPO date in 1970? $16.50. For just under $17, I could have $150,000 in my pocket today. That's the power of investing aside from all the other perks like compounding and other factors. Of course, does anyone ever buy just one share of stock? Hardly ever. So, let's say someone bought 10 shares for $165, that would be worth $1.5 million. Or how about 100 shares at a cost of $1,650? That paltry investment would be worth a staggering $15 million. Think about that for a minute and let it sink in. If all you did was buy 100 shares of Walmart back in 1970 and did nothing else, you'd have $15 million in your pocket today. It boggles the mind.