DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2003: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2003 (1,243 buys, $124,300 in total) would be worth $704,416 today (+466.71%).
Backtest 1 January 2003 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$704,416
+466.71% · +12.65%/yr
- Invested
- $124,300.00
- Buys
- 1,243
- Average cost
- $3,040.44
Lump sum, day one
Winner$1,698,200
+1266.21%
- Invested
- $124,300.00
- Bought at
- $1,261.18
- Max drawdown
- 55.25%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$1,955,852
+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 5.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 349 days (to 15 Sept 2009). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 38.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 1 Sept 2010. The average cost per unit was $3,040.44 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+466.71%). The cheapest buy was $1,153.35 on 4 Mar 2009 and the priciest $17,501.21 on 7 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2003 | $5,300 | $6,212 | +17.20% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $10,500 | $12,508 | +19.12% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $15,700 | $18,554 | +18.18% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $20,900 | $27,171 | +30.01% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $26,100 | $33,884 | +29.82% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $31,400 | $25,446 | -18.96% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $36,600 | $38,459 | +5.08% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $41,800 | $50,057 | +19.75% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $47,000 | $56,342 | +19.88% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $52,200 | $70,810 | +35.65% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $57,400 | $99,695 | +73.68% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $62,700 | $119,055 | +89.88% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $67,900 | $125,916 | +85.44% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $73,100 | $146,609 | +100.56% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $78,300 | $184,362 | +135.46% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $83,500 | $181,080 | +116.86% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $88,700 | $243,954 | +175.03% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $94,000 | $295,128 | +213.97% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $99,200 | $385,719 | +288.83% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $104,400 | $320,793 | +207.27% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $109,600 | $410,984 | +274.99% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $114,800 | $519,521 | +352.54% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $120,100 | $618,307 | +414.83% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $124,300 | $704,416 | +466.71% |
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 2003 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2003 (1,243 buys, $124,300 in total) would be worth $704,416 today (+466.71%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2003?
- Investing the same $124,300 in one go on 1 January 2003 would be worth $1,698,200 today (+1266.21%), 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 2003?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 5.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 349 days (ending 15 Sept 2009).