If you had invested $10,000 in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) ten years ago, as of September 3, 2026, that investment would now be worth $38,212; with dividends reinvested, its value would reach $41,688. The article notes that the stock market has performed exceptionally strongly over the past 15 years, with the S&P 500 index's average annual return approaching 10% in the long term.