Holding positions in great companies long term could change your life. Amazon stock has surged roughly 40,000% over the last two decades, which means a $1,000 investment made in the company would now be worth roughly $400,000. Buying Netflix stock at its initial public offering back in 2002 would have yielded even better results, and a $1,000 investment in the entertainment company would now be worth about $492,000 based on today’s stock price.