From 1996-2007 there were 14 instances of greater than 100% yearly returns and 25 of greater than 50%.

From 1981 to 1991, the company's shares produced an astounding average yearly return of 46.8 percent, including dividends and increases in the share price.

His yearly returns have ranged as high as 60 percent to a low of 13 percent, and last year his funds gained 23 percent.

Including the losses this year, the fund is estimated to have had yearly returns of about 20.8 percent, net of fees, since it started in 1994.

Mr. Heine's investment strategy was to buy undervalued stocks, in search of a 15 percent yearly return despite market fluctuations.

And think medium term - don't anticipate a spectacular yearly return just yet.

In the same period, Boston Properties had average yearly returns of 25.6 percent, he said.

Until then, the fund had yearly returns of 16%.

To calculate a meaningful measure of the investor's return, it is necessary to weight the yearly returns by the dollars invested during that year.

An investor who bought the Nasdaq index in 1973 and sold in 2002 would have earned an average yearly return of 9.6 percent.