Home / Investing Strategies / Blue Chip Shares / How $20,000 turns into $250,000 in 10 years with ASX shares

How $20,000 turns into $250,000 in 10 years with ASX shares

Investing $20,000 into REA Group Limited (ASX:REA) and these ASX shares 10 years ago would have made you very wealthy…

Posted by
James Mickleboro
James Mickleboro has been a Motley Fool contributor since late 2015. After studying economics at university back home in the United Kingdom, James came to live in Australia and managed to land a job at an Australian fund manager. This was the start of a love affair with Australian equities and he hasn't looked back since. James is part of the CFA Institute's Chartered Financial Analyst program and hopes it teaches him how to become an astute investor which allows him to help others with their own investing. Outside of reading and researching he spends many a late night watching the English Premier League and Seinfeld reruns.
Published
| More on:

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More

I'm a big fan of buy and hold investing and believe it is the best way for investors to grow their wealth. To demonstrate how successful it can be, I like to pick out a number of popular ASX shares to see how much a single $20,000 investment 10 years ago would be worth today.

This time around I have picked out the three ASX shares that are listed below:

woman in white shirt splashing money in the air

Image source: Getty Images

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

This integrated commercial and industrial property group owns, develops, and manages industrial real estate in 17 countries. It has been a very strong performer over the last decade thanks to its focus on investing in and developing high quality industrial properties in strategic locations. These are close to large urban populations and in and around major gateway cities globally, where demand is strong and transformational changes are driving significant opportunities. This has underpinned strong earnings and distribution growth, leading to its shares generating a total average return of 19.4% per annum since this time in 2011. This would have turned a $20,000 investment into ~$120,000.

NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

NEXTDC is Australia's leading data centre operator. Thanks to the shift to the cloud, a significant increase in demand for capacity in data centres, and its growing network of centres, NEXTDC's sales and earnings have been growing at a strong rate for a decade. This has led to its shares smashing the market over the last 10 years. During this time, the NEXTDC share price has provided investors with an average total return of 21.8% per annum. This would have turned a $20,000 investment into ~$145,000 in 2021.

REA Group Limited (ASX: REA)

Another company that has been growing very strongly thanks to a structural shift has been REA Group. With property listings moving from newspapers to online, its realestate.com.au website has benefited greatly over the last decade. Especially given its dominance of the industry. This has been supported by the growth of its complementary businesses and its international operations. All in all, this has led to REA Group share price generating a total average return of 28.6% per annum for shareholders since 2021. This means that a $20,000 investment in REA Group's shares in 2011 would now be worth ~$250,000.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of NEXTDC Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended REA Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

More on Blue Chip Shares

Female in elegant outfit smiling and gesturing victory with hands.
Blue Chip Shares

3 ASX blue chip shares to buy and hold for the next 20 years

| Mark Verhoeven

CBA, Macquarie, and CSL each face a real test over a 20-year horizon. Here is why these three ASX blue…

Read more »

A female ASX investor looks through a magnifying glass that enlarges her eye and holds her hand to her face with her mouth open as if looking at something of great interest or surprise.
Blue Chip Shares

3 quality ASX shares I'd buy (that aren't CBA or Wesfarmers)

| Grace Alvino

I think some of the best long-term shares can look plain from a distance and more impressive up close.

Read more »

Person handing out $50 notes, symbolising ex-dividend date.
Blue Chip Shares

2 ASX blue-chip shares offering big dividend yields

| Tristan Harrison

These large businesses are giving investors large passive income.

Read more »

Two female executives looking at a clipboard together.
Blue Chip Shares

Where I'd invest $2,000 in ASX 200 shares

| Grace Alvino

I would look for companies with strong market positions, long-term relevance, and management teams that know how to reinvest.

Read more »

Two smiling work colleagues discuss an investment at their office.
Blue Chip Shares

Which Aussie blue-chip stock is the best performer so far in 2026?

| Aaron Bell

Where have the winners been in 2026?

Read more »

Happy work colleagues give each other a fist pump.
Blue Chip Shares

2 of the best ASX 200 blue-chip shares I'd buy in June

| Grace Alvino

I like these businesses because they already have scale but still have ways to keep growing.

Read more »

Young woman thinking with laptop open.
Blue Chip Shares

If you invested $10,000 in CSL shares 10 years ago, here's what they would be worth today

| Mark Verhoeven

Will the next 10 years tell a different story?

Read more »

Two young African mine workers wearing protective wear are discussing coal quality while on site at a coal mine.
Blue Chip Shares

Are Rio Tinto or BHP shares a better buy right now?

| Aaron Bell

Can these blue-chips keep rising?

Read more »