DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2004: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2004 (1,191 buys, $119,100 in total) would be worth $639,440 today (+436.89%).
Backtest 1 January 2004 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$639,440
+436.89% · +12.86%/yr
- Invested
- $119,100.00
- Buys
- 1,191
- Average cost
- $3,209.27
Lump sum, day one
Winner$1,264,457
+961.68%
- Invested
- $119,100.00
- Bought at
- $1,622.94
- Max drawdown
- 55.25%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$1,874,030
+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 8.6% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 448 days (to 13 Dec 2009). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 41.6% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 8 Sept 2010. The average cost per unit was $3,209.27 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+436.89%). The cheapest buy was $1,104.38 on 5 Mar 2009 and the priciest $17,460.76 on 13 Aug 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2004 | $5,300 | $5,733 | +8.16% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $10,500 | $11,445 | +9.00% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $15,700 | $18,936 | +20.61% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $20,900 | $25,202 | +20.58% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $26,100 | $19,890 | -23.79% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $31,400 | $31,544 | +0.46% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $36,600 | $42,101 | +15.03% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $41,800 | $48,215 | +15.35% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $47,000 | $61,376 | +30.59% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $52,200 | $87,198 | +67.05% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $57,400 | $104,749 | +82.49% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $62,700 | $111,507 | +77.84% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $67,900 | $130,474 | +92.16% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $73,100 | $164,707 | +125.32% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $78,300 | $162,287 | +107.26% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $83,500 | $219,234 | +162.56% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $88,800 | $265,872 | +199.41% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $94,000 | $348,053 | +270.27% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $99,200 | $289,956 | +192.29% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $104,400 | $372,036 | +256.36% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $109,600 | $470,821 | +329.58% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $114,800 | $560,810 | +388.51% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $119,100 | $639,440 | +436.89% |
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 2004 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2004 (1,191 buys, $119,100 in total) would be worth $639,440 today (+436.89%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2004?
- Investing the same $119,100 in one go on 1 January 2004 would be worth $1,264,457 today (+961.68%), 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 2004?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 8.6% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 448 days (ending 13 Dec 2009).