Putting $ 1 , 000 $ 1 , 0 0 0 into Bitcoin five years ago (approx. late 2020) would have resulted in massive gains, with the investment growing to roughly $ 9 , 500 $ 9 , 5 0 0 to over $ 14 , 500 $ 1 4 , 5 0 0 by early-to-mid 2025. This represents a return of over 850% to 1,300% despite extreme volatility, including major price drawdowns in 2022.
In mid-2025, it hit an all-time high around $122,000. At today's price near $115,000, that same 0.43 BTC from your $100 investment in 2015 would be worth almost $50,000. That's a gain most traditional investments could never match in such a short span. And yet, this growth was never in a straight line.
Bitcoin has been a high-performing asset
Despite extreme volatility, Bitcoin's price has skyrocketed 1,060% in the past five years as I write this. This monster gain would've turned a $10,000 initial capital outlay in October 2020 to a whopping $115,700 on Oct. 6.
If you had invested $500 in Bitcoin (BTC 0.49%) five years ago, you'd have about $5,238 today. In other words, you would have more than 10x returns. Image source: Getty Images.
Yes, someone really did pay 10,000 Bitcoin for two pizzas in a historic transaction on May 22, 2010, by programmer Laszlo Hanyecz, marking the first real-world purchase with cryptocurrency and becoming famous as Bitcoin Pizza Day. At the time, those 10,000 BTC were worth about $41, but now (in recent years, as Bitcoin's price has soared) they'd be worth over a billion dollars, demonstrating Bitcoin's massive growth in value.
Investing $100 in Bitcoin alone is not likely to make you wealthy. The price of Bitcoin is highly volatile and can fluctuate significantly in short periods. While it is possible to see significant returns in a short time, it is also possible to lose a substantial amount just as quickly.
Key Points. Michael Saylor's base case puts Bitcoin at $13 million per coin by 2045, which would turn a $100 investment today into $15,115 in 20 years. Even Saylor's most conservative (or least preposterous) $3 million target would deliver a 3,388% return, beating the S&P 500's historical averages by a healthy margin.
While this is a lower-bound scenario, we can use it as a baseline to show what it takes for investors to become Bitcoin millionaires. Assuming an annualized return of 30%, one must invest roughly $85,500 annually for five years to hit millionaire status. Over 10 years, this number falls to around $18,250.
Investing $100 in Bitcoin about 10 years ago (around late 2015/early 2016) would have turned that initial amount into tens of thousands of dollars, potentially over $30,000, given Bitcoin's massive growth from roughly $300-$400 per coin to over $100,000 by late 2025/early 2026, though exact value depends on the specific purchase price and current market fluctuations, representing an astronomical return but also highlighting Bitcoin's extreme volatility.
Key Takeaways. The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, meaning that when you buy, sell or exchange it, this counts as a taxable event and typically results in either a capital gain or loss. When you earn income from cryptocurrency activities, this is taxed as ordinary income.
The 10,000 bitcoin that software developer Laszlo Hanyecz paid for two Papa John's pizzas delivered to his Florida home on May 22, 2010, were worth about $41 at the time. Today they're worth $1.1 billion, as bitcoin hits record high prices.
Bitcoin's volatility demands a conservative, disciplined entry. Most beginners should start with 1–2% of their investable assets, using dollar-cost averaging (DCA) to spread out timing risk. Start with $100–$500 monthly and only increase allocation after gaining confidence, market knowledge, and a solid long-term plan.
"We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions," Musk explained in a tweet, "especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel."
The Problem With Crypto
It's wasteful. He's criticized its massive energy consumption and how it facilitates anonymous transactions that can't be reversed. Unlike other digital payment systems, which he sees potential in, Bitcoin and similar assets don't align with his vision for practical financial innovation.