DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2017: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2017 (118 buys, $11,800 in total) would be worth $26,421 today (+123.91%).
Backtest 1 January 2017 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$26,421
+123.91% · +15.74%/yr
- Invested
- $11,800.00
- Buys
- 118
- Average cost
- $7,692.15
Lump sum, day one
Winner$47,500
+302.54%
- Invested
- $11,800.00
- Bought at
- $4,278.66
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$47,500
+302.54%
- Bought on
- 1 Jan 2017
- At a price of
- $4,278.66
- 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% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 16 days (to 3 Jan 2019). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 14.2% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Apr 2020. The average cost per unit was $7,692.15 against a price today of $17,223.37 (+123.91%). The cheapest buy was $4,278.66 on 1 Jan 2017 and the priciest $17,194.24 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2017 | $1,200 | $1,335 | +11.28% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $2,400 | $2,382 | -0.76% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $3,600 | $4,498 | +24.94% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $4,800 | $6,777 | +41.20% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $6,000 | $10,098 | +68.29% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $7,200 | $9,395 | +30.49% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $8,400 | $13,226 | +57.46% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $9,600 | $17,867 | +86.11% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $10,800 | $22,404 | +107.44% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $11,800 | $26,421 | +123.91% |
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 2017 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2017 (118 buys, $11,800 in total) would be worth $26,421 today (+123.91%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2017?
- Investing the same $11,800 in one go on 1 January 2017 would be worth $47,500 today (+302.54%), 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 2017?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 16 days (ending 3 Jan 2019).