DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2015: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2015 (143 buys, $14,300 in total) would be worth $36,987 today (+158.65%).
Backtest 1 January 2015 to 11 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$36,987
+158.65% · +15.09%/yr
- Invested
- $14,300.00
- Buys
- 143
- Average cost
- $6,618.55
Lump sum, day one
Winner$64,943
+354.15%
- Invested
- $14,300.00
- Bought at
- $3,769.44
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$71,391
+399.24%
- Bought on
- 11 Feb 2016
- At a price of
- $3,428.99
- 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 4% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 67 days (to 10 Mar 2016). The worst moment was 25 Aug 2015, when it was down 9.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 24 Mar 2020. The average cost per unit was $6,618.55 against a price today of $17,118.84 (+158.65%). The cheapest buy was $3,552.65 on 1 Sept 2015 and the priciest $17,194.24 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2015 | $1,200 | $1,210 | +0.83% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $2,400 | $2,656 | +10.65% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $3,600 | $4,571 | +26.97% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $4,800 | $5,475 | +14.07% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $6,000 | $8,566 | +42.76% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $7,200 | $11,594 | +61.02% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $8,400 | $16,296 | +94.00% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $9,600 | $14,471 | +50.74% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $10,800 | $19,637 | +81.82% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $12,000 | $25,881 | +115.67% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $13,200 | $31,851 | +141.29% |
| 11 Nov 2026 | $14,300 | $36,987 | +158.65% |
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 2015 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2015 (143 buys, $14,300 in total) would be worth $36,987 today (+158.65%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2015?
- Investing the same $14,300 in one go on 1 January 2015 would be worth $64,943 today (+354.15%), 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 2015?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 4% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 67 days (ending 10 Mar 2016).