DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)

S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2005: $100 weekly

Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2005 (1,138 buys, $113,800 in total) would be worth $585,304 today (+414.33%).

Backtest 1 January 2005 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →

Dollar-cost averaging

$585,304

+414.33% · +13.17%/yr

Invested
$113,800.00
Buys
1,138
Average cost
$3,350.08

Lump sum, day one

Winner

$1,089,615

+857.48%

Invested
$113,800.00
Bought at
$1,799.55
Max drawdown
55.25%

Perfect timing (hindsight)

$1,790,635

+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 9.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 487 days (to 3 Jan 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 43.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 4 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $3,350.08 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+414.33%). The cheapest buy was $1,106.00 on 7 Mar 2009 and the priciest $17,525.23 on 10 Oct 2026.

Year by year

As ofInvestedWorthReturn
31 Dec 2005$5,300$5,533+4.40%
31 Dec 2006$10,500$12,094+15.18%
31 Dec 2007$15,700$17,981+14.53%
31 Dec 2008$20,900$15,340-26.60%
31 Dec 2009$26,100$25,691-1.57%
31 Dec 2010$31,300$35,389+13.06%
31 Dec 2011$36,600$41,464+13.29%
31 Dec 2012$41,800$53,543+28.09%
31 Dec 2013$47,000$76,811+63.43%
31 Dec 2014$52,200$92,938+78.04%
31 Dec 2015$57,400$99,441+73.24%
31 Dec 2016$62,700$117,077+86.73%
31 Dec 2017$67,900$148,377+118.52%
31 Dec 2018$73,100$146,677+100.65%
31 Dec 2019$78,300$198,693+153.76%
31 Dec 2020$83,500$241,453+189.16%
31 Dec 2021$88,700$316,645+256.98%
31 Dec 2022$94,000$264,324+181.20%
31 Dec 2023$99,200$339,652+242.39%
31 Dec 2024$104,400$430,327+312.19%
31 Dec 2025$109,600$513,077+368.14%
22 Oct 2026$113,800$585,304+414.33%

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.

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Frequently asked questions

How much would $100 every week in S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2005 be worth today?
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2005 (1,138 buys, $113,800 in total) would be worth $585,304 today (+414.33%).
Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2005?
Investing the same $113,800 in one go on 1 January 2005 would be worth $1,089,615 today (+857.48%), 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 2005?
The plan was worth less than the money invested on 9.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 487 days (ending 3 Jan 2010).
A historical simulation, not financial advice. Past performance does not predict future results; the value of investments can fall as well as rise. Figures use daily closing prices (trading days carried forward over weekends and holidays) with a live quote for today, USD, and no fees.