DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2013: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2013 (166 buys, $16,600 in total) would be worth $50,248 today (+202.70%).
Backtest 1 January 2013 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$50,248
+202.70% · +14.83%/yr
- Invested
- $16,600.00
- Buys
- 166
- Average cost
- $5,686.69
Lump sum, day one
Winner$114,094
+587.31%
- Invested
- $16,600.00
- Bought at
- $2,504.44
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$114,094
+587.31%
- Bought on
- 1 Jan 2013
- At a price of
- $2,504.44
- Not a plan you could follow
How it would have felt
The plan was never worth less than the money put in at any point in this period. The average cost per unit was $5,686.69 against a price today of $17,213.39 (+202.70%). The cheapest buy was $2,504.44 on 1 Jan 2013 and the priciest $17,194.24 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2013 | $1,200 | $1,391 | +15.90% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $2,400 | $2,881 | +20.05% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $3,600 | $4,131 | +14.75% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $4,800 | $5,926 | +23.46% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $6,000 | $8,555 | +42.59% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $7,200 | $9,285 | +28.96% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $8,400 | $13,575 | +61.61% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $9,600 | $17,525 | +82.55% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $10,800 | $23,930 | +121.57% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $12,000 | $20,722 | +72.69% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $13,200 | $27,531 | +108.57% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $14,400 | $35,751 | +148.27% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $15,600 | $43,485 | +178.75% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $16,600 | $50,248 | +202.70% |
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 2013 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2013 (166 buys, $16,600 in total) would be worth $50,248 today (+202.70%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2013?
- Investing the same $16,600 in one go on 1 January 2013 would be worth $114,094 today (+587.31%), 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 2013?
- The plan was never worth less than the money invested at any point in this period.