DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2008: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2008 (982 buys, $98,200 in total) would be worth $451,271 today (+359.54%).
Backtest 1 January 2008 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$451,271
+359.54% · +14.44%/yr
- Invested
- $98,200.00
- Buys
- 982
- Average cost
- $3,749.46
Lump sum, day one
Winner$733,675
+647.12%
- Invested
- $98,200.00
- Bought at
- $2,306.23
- Max drawdown
- 52.52%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$1,545,170
+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 7.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 437 days (to 20 Aug 2009). The worst moment was 20 Nov 2008, when it was down 39.1% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 7 Jul 2010. The average cost per unit was $3,749.46 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+359.54%). 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 2008 | $5,300 | $4,068 | -23.25% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $10,500 | $11,441 | +8.96% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $15,700 | $18,982 | +20.90% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $20,900 | $24,601 | +17.71% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $26,100 | $33,990 | +30.23% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $31,400 | $51,051 | +62.58% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $36,600 | $63,645 | +73.89% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $41,800 | $69,748 | +66.86% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $47,000 | $83,727 | +78.14% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $52,200 | $107,759 | +106.43% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $57,400 | $107,840 | +87.87% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $62,700 | $147,756 | +135.66% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $67,900 | $181,115 | +166.74% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $73,100 | $238,981 | +226.92% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $78,300 | $200,634 | +156.24% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $83,500 | $259,233 | +210.46% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $88,800 | $329,904 | +271.51% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $94,000 | $394,689 | +319.88% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $98,200 | $451,271 | +359.54% |
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 2008 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2008 (982 buys, $98,200 in total) would be worth $451,271 today (+359.54%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2008?
- Investing the same $98,200 in one go on 1 January 2008 would be worth $733,675 today (+647.12%), 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 2008?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 7.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 437 days (ending 20 Aug 2009).