cash at Bank Rate, 2000 to July 2026
£10,000 in 2000 is £19,330 in today's money
That £10,000 was £23,965 in today's money. So in real terms you ended up with less than you put in, despite the bigger number.
2.5% a year-0.8% a year after inflation£19,330 in July 2026 money

The same money elsewhere
Same amount, same years, same contributions. Figures are in today's money, after any charges, before tax.
| Instead | In today's money | Real multiple |
|---|---|---|
| The S&P 500S&P 500, to June 2024 | £79,826 | 3.3× |
| A UK houseUK house, to December 2025 | £35,845 | 1.5× |
| A 60/40 portfolio60/40, to June 2024 | £44,269 | 1.8× |
| An 80/20 portfolio80/20, to June 2024 | £58,371 | 2.4× |
| Just keeping up with pricesinflation, to December 2025 | £23,965 | 1.0× |
| Cash at Bank Rate | £19,330 | 0.8× |
What this leaves out
Tax, dealing costs and the spread. Anyone actually saving would have changed their mind at least once. Past returns are a record of what happened, not a forecast — the future is genuinely unknown, and none of this is advice.