DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2001: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2001 (1,347 buys, $134,700 in total) would be worth $823,146 today (+511.10%).
Backtest 1 January 2001 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$823,146
+511.10% · +12.07%/yr
- Invested
- $134,700.00
- Buys
- 1,347
- Average cost
- $2,819.59
Lump sum, day one
Winner$1,263,182
+837.77%
- Invested
- $134,700.00
- Bought at
- $1,837.37
- Max drawdown
- 55.25%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$2,119,495
+1473.49%
- Bought on
- 9 Mar 2009
- At a price of
- $1,095.04
- 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 13.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 531 days (to 1 Sept 2003). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 35.7% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 5 Oct 2009. The average cost per unit was $2,819.59 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+511.10%). The cheapest buy was $1,095.04 on 9 Mar 2009 and the priciest $17,515.58 on 12 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2001 | $5,300 | $5,159 | -2.66% |
| 31 Dec 2002 | $10,500 | $8,723 | -16.93% |
| 31 Dec 2003 | $15,700 | $17,315 | +10.29% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $20,900 | $24,831 | +18.81% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $26,100 | $31,478 | +20.61% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $31,300 | $42,152 | +34.67% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $36,600 | $49,799 | +36.06% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $41,800 | $35,400 | -15.31% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $47,000 | $51,064 | +8.65% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $52,200 | $64,569 | +23.70% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $57,400 | $71,167 | +23.98% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $62,700 | $88,114 | +40.53% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $67,900 | $122,584 | +80.54% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $73,100 | $144,978 | +98.33% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $78,300 | $152,203 | +94.38% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $83,500 | $176,049 | +110.84% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $88,700 | $220,239 | +148.30% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $94,000 | $215,489 | +129.24% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $99,200 | $289,173 | +191.51% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $104,400 | $348,578 | +233.89% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $109,600 | $454,516 | +314.70% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $114,800 | $377,134 | +228.51% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $120,000 | $482,130 | +301.78% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $125,300 | $608,572 | +385.69% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $130,500 | $723,184 | +454.16% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $134,700 | $823,146 | +511.10% |
Try a different start
Weekly $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 week in S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2001 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2001 (1,347 buys, $134,700 in total) would be worth $823,146 today (+511.10%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2001?
- Investing the same $134,700 in one go on 1 January 2001 would be worth $1,263,182 today (+837.77%), 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 2001?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 13.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 531 days (ending 1 Sept 2003).