Despite recent turmoil, the stock market remains one of the most effective ways for most Americans to build wealth. It’s common for Americans to believe you need large sums of money to invest in the stock market. That’s not the case.
Thanks to online brokerages, you can often invest with as little as you want. Over time, that beginning investment can grow into great wealth. Even an investment of $1,000 can turn into millions with the right mindset.
Buy-and-hold investing is usually touted as a top way to build wealth over time. The strategy may feel a bit outdated, but it streamlines investing, allowing you to optimize compounding and tax efficiencies, according to Fidelity.
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History shows that some stocks have grown substantially over the years. For example, Coca-Cola has grown by over 1 million percent since going public in 1919, according to Financhill. Fortunately, more recent stocks have exploded in growth, particularly from their initial public offerings (IPOs). For Americans who were able to make a $1,000 investment in the respective IPOs have seen their investments grow to well over $1 million in recent decades.
Aside from Tesla, which has achieved this in a little over a decade, other stock investments have allowed investors to reach millionaire status in several decades. It’s not relatively quick, but it shows how buy-and-hold investing can pay off.
Here are six stocks that turned a $1,000 investment at IPO into millions, ranked from shortest to longest, according to a recent report from Taurex.
Tesla
- Year of IPO: 2010
- First day price: $1.71
- Price in August 2025: $329.13
- $1,000 investment value: $2,887,105
Netflix
- Year of IPO: 2002
- First day price: $7.02
- Price in August 2025: $1,225.35
- $1,000 investment value: $2,443,718
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Nvidia
- Year of IPO: 1999
- First day price: $0.44
- Price in August 2025: $144.69
- $1,000 investment value: $$15,784,364
Amazon
- Year of IPO: 1997
- First day price: $6.70
- Price in August 2025: $216.10
- $1,000 investment value: $7,740,896
Microsoft
- Year of IPO: 1986
- First day price: $31.10
- Price in August 2025: $479.14
- $1,000 investment value: $4,437,052
Apple
- Year of IPO: 1980
- First day price: $7.42
- Price in August 2025: $198.42
- $1,000 investment value: $5,990,038
While turbulent, the stock market offers ample opportunity to grow wealth for Americans with a prudent mindset. Many companies have increased by 1,000% over their lifespan. Not every investment will achieve such growth, but following a balanced investment plan will avail Americans more opportunity than not to grow their wealth.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Stocks Where a $1,000 Investment Would’ve Made You a Millionaire
