DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2002: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2002 (1,298 buys, $129,800 in total) would be worth $764,136 today (+488.70%).
Backtest 1 January 2002 to 11 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$764,136
+488.70% · +12.32%/yr
- Invested
- $129,800.00
- Buys
- 1,298
- Average cost
- $2,907.89
Lump sum, day one
Winner$1,372,485
+957.38%
- Invested
- $129,800.00
- Bought at
- $1,618.98
- Max drawdown
- 55.25%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$2,029,173
+1463.31%
- 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 8.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 390 days (to 11 May 2003). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 36.0% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Jul 2010. The average cost per unit was $2,907.89 against a price today of $17,118.84 (+488.70%). The cheapest buy was $1,126.18 on 3 Mar 2009 and the priciest $17,539.28 on 6 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2002 | $5,300 | $4,799 | -9.45% |
| 31 Dec 2003 | $10,500 | $12,254 | +16.70% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $15,700 | $19,212 | +22.37% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $20,900 | $25,588 | +22.43% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $26,100 | $35,328 | +35.36% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $31,300 | $42,502 | +35.79% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $36,600 | $30,845 | -15.72% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $41,800 | $45,304 | +8.38% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $47,000 | $57,946 | +23.29% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $52,200 | $64,389 | +23.35% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $57,400 | $80,145 | +39.63% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $62,700 | $112,155 | +78.88% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $67,900 | $133,112 | +96.04% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $73,100 | $140,177 | +91.76% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $78,300 | $162,579 | +107.64% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $83,500 | $203,825 | +144.10% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $88,700 | $199,695 | +125.14% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $94,000 | $268,533 | +185.67% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $99,200 | $324,114 | +226.73% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $104,400 | $423,027 | +305.20% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $109,600 | $351,348 | +220.57% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $114,800 | $449,566 | +291.61% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $120,100 | $567,858 | +372.82% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $125,300 | $675,189 | +438.86% |
| 11 Nov 2026 | $129,800 | $764,136 | +488.70% |
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 2002 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2002 (1,298 buys, $129,800 in total) would be worth $764,136 today (+488.70%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2002?
- Investing the same $129,800 in one go on 1 January 2002 would be worth $1,372,485 today (+957.38%), 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 2002?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 8.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 390 days (ending 11 May 2003).