DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2020: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2020 (82 buys, $8,200 in total) would be worth $14,592 today (+77.95%).
Backtest 1 January 2020 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$14,592
+77.95% · +16.70%/yr
- Invested
- $8,200.00
- Buys
- 82
- Average cost
- $9,673.12
Lump sum, day one
Winner$21,538
+162.66%
- Invested
- $8,200.00
- Bought at
- $6,553.57
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$30,957
+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 3.8% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 55 days (to 28 Apr 2020). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 28.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 17 Oct 2022. The average cost per unit was $9,673.12 against a price today of $17,213.39 (+77.95%). The cheapest buy was $5,036.64 on 1 Apr 2020 and the priciest $17,194.24 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2020 | $1,200 | $1,452 | +21.01% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $2,400 | $3,243 | +35.14% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $3,600 | $3,783 | +5.07% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $4,800 | $6,138 | +27.88% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $6,000 | $9,005 | +50.09% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $7,200 | $11,958 | +66.08% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $8,200 | $14,592 | +77.95% |
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 2020 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2020 (82 buys, $8,200 in total) would be worth $14,592 today (+77.95%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2020?
- Investing the same $8,200 in one go on 1 January 2020 would be worth $21,538 today (+162.66%), 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 2020?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 3.8% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 55 days (ending 28 Apr 2020).