DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2006: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2006 (250 buys, $25,000 in total) would be worth $123,390 today (+393.56%).
Backtest 1 January 2006 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$123,390
+393.56% · +13.49%/yr
- Invested
- $25,000.00
- Buys
- 250
- Average cost
- $3,487.60
Lump sum, day one
Winner$227,939
+811.76%
- Invested
- $25,000.00
- Bought at
- $1,887.94
- Max drawdown
- 55.25%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$392,985
+1471.94%
- Bought on
- 9 Mar 2009
- At a price of
- $1,095.04
- Not a plan you could follow
How it would have felt
Over this period the plan was worth less than the money you’d put in on 11.7% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 569 days (to 7 Jan 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 44.6% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 4 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $3,487.60 against a price today of $17,213.39 (+393.56%). The cheapest buy was $1,188.84 on 1 Mar 2009 and the priciest $17,194.24 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2006 | $1,200 | $1,319 | +9.94% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $2,400 | $2,601 | +8.37% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $3,600 | $2,533 | -29.64% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $4,800 | $4,677 | -2.56% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $6,000 | $6,741 | +12.35% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $7,200 | $8,084 | +12.27% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $8,400 | $10,642 | +26.69% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $9,600 | $15,479 | +61.24% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $10,800 | $18,898 | +74.98% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $12,000 | $20,370 | +69.75% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $13,200 | $24,107 | +82.63% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $14,400 | $30,705 | +113.23% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $15,600 | $30,464 | +95.28% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $16,800 | $41,422 | +146.56% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $18,000 | $50,495 | +180.53% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $19,200 | $66,365 | +245.65% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $20,400 | $55,472 | +171.92% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $21,600 | $71,416 | +230.63% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $22,800 | $90,615 | +297.43% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $24,000 | $108,159 | +350.66% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $25,000 | $123,390 | +393.56% |
Try a different start
Monthly $100 into S&P 500 (Total Return), by start year:
Does the start year really matter? Best and worst time to start DCA or DCA vs lump sum, tested on every start month.
Frequently asked questions
- How much would $100 every month in S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2006 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2006 (250 buys, $25,000 in total) would be worth $123,390 today (+393.56%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2006?
- Investing the same $25,000 in one go on 1 January 2006 would be worth $227,939 today (+811.76%), so putting it all in on day one came out ahead over this particular period. Which wins depends heavily on the start date.
- How long was S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA underwater since 2006?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 11.7% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 569 days (ending 7 Jan 2010).