DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2011: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2011 (825 buys, $82,500 in total) would be worth $296,905 today (+259.88%).
Backtest 1 January 2011 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$296,905
+259.88% · +14.77%/yr
- Invested
- $82,500.00
- Buys
- 825
- Average cost
- $4,787.75
Lump sum, day one
Winner$672,333
+714.95%
- Invested
- $82,500.00
- Bought at
- $2,114.29
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$757,753
+818.49%
- Bought on
- 3 Oct 2011
- At a price of
- $1,875.95
- 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 2.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 92 days (to 26 Oct 2011). The worst moment was 8 Aug 2011, when it was down 13.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 29 Dec 2011. The average cost per unit was $4,787.75 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+259.88%). The cheapest buy was $1,912.77 on 20 Aug 2011 and the priciest $17,525.23 on 10 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2011 | $5,300 | $5,328 | +0.53% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $10,500 | $11,624 | +10.70% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $15,700 | $21,316 | +35.77% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $20,900 | $29,845 | +42.80% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $26,100 | $35,475 | +35.92% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $31,400 | $45,461 | +44.78% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $36,600 | $61,126 | +67.01% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $41,800 | $63,251 | +51.32% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $47,000 | $89,000 | +89.36% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $52,200 | $111,578 | +113.75% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $57,400 | $149,489 | +160.43% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $62,700 | $127,441 | +103.26% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $67,900 | $166,787 | +145.64% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $73,100 | $214,211 | +193.04% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $78,300 | $258,320 | +229.91% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $82,500 | $296,905 | +259.88% |
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 2011 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2011 (825 buys, $82,500 in total) would be worth $296,905 today (+259.88%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2011?
- Investing the same $82,500 in one go on 1 January 2011 would be worth $672,333 today (+714.95%), 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 2011?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 2.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 92 days (ending 26 Oct 2011).