DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2016: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2016 (130 buys, $13,000 in total) would be worth $31,658 today (+143.53%).
Backtest 1 January 2016 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$31,658
+143.53% · +15.62%/yr
- Invested
- $13,000.00
- Buys
- 130
- Average cost
- $7,072.53
Lump sum, day one
Winner$58,589
+350.68%
- Invested
- $13,000.00
- Bought at
- $3,821.60
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$65,297
+402.29%
- 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 1.7% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 58 days (to 1 Mar 2016). The worst moment was 20 Jan 2016, when it was down 9.0% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 24 Mar 2020. The average cost per unit was $7,072.53 against a price today of $17,223.37 (+143.52%). The cheapest buy was $3,630.46 on 1 Feb 2016 and the priciest $17,194.24 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2016 | $1,200 | $1,301 | +8.42% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $2,400 | $2,920 | +21.68% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $3,600 | $3,897 | +8.26% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $4,800 | $6,491 | +35.22% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $6,000 | $9,137 | +52.28% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $7,200 | $13,134 | +82.42% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $8,400 | $11,882 | +41.45% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $9,600 | $16,367 | +70.49% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $10,800 | $21,793 | +101.79% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $12,000 | $27,032 | +125.26% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $13,000 | $31,658 | +143.52% |
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 2016 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2016 (130 buys, $13,000 in total) would be worth $31,658 today (+143.53%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2016?
- Investing the same $13,000 in one go on 1 January 2016 would be worth $58,589 today (+350.68%), 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 2016?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.7% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 58 days (ending 1 Mar 2016).