DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2019: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2019 (94 buys, $9,400 in total) would be worth $18,180 today (+93.40%).
Backtest 1 January 2019 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$18,180
+93.40% · +16.49%/yr
- Invested
- $9,400.00
- Buys
- 94
- Average cost
- $8,900.22
Lump sum, day one
Winner$32,464
+245.36%
- Invested
- $9,400.00
- Bought at
- $4,984.22
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$35,488
+277.53%
- Bought on
- 23 Mar 2020
- At a price of
- $4,559.50
- 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 1.8% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 39 days (to 16 Apr 2020). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 22.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 14 May 2020. The average cost per unit was $8,900.22 against a price today of $17,213.39 (+93.40%). The cheapest buy was $4,984.22 on 1 Jan 2019 and the priciest $17,194.24 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2019 | $1,200 | $1,366 | +13.84% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $2,400 | $3,069 | +27.89% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $3,600 | $5,325 | +47.92% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $4,800 | $5,487 | +14.32% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $6,000 | $8,291 | +38.18% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $7,200 | $11,697 | +62.45% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $8,400 | $15,130 | +80.12% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $9,400 | $18,180 | +93.40% |
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 2019 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2019 (94 buys, $9,400 in total) would be worth $18,180 today (+93.40%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2019?
- Investing the same $9,400 in one go on 1 January 2019 would be worth $32,464 today (+245.36%), 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 2019?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.8% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 39 days (ending 16 Apr 2020).