DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2012: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2012 (776 buys, $77,600 in total) would be worth $253,831 today (+227.10%).
Backtest 1 January 2012 to 11 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$253,831
+227.10% · +14.66%/yr
- Invested
- $77,600.00
- Buys
- 776
- Average cost
- $5,233.48
Lump sum, day one
Winner$615,312
+692.93%
- Invested
- $77,600.00
- Bought at
- $2,158.94
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$615,312
+692.93%
- Bought on
- 1 Jan 2012
- At a price of
- $2,158.94
- 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 0.8% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 32 days (to 14 Jun 2012). The worst moment was 1 Jun 2012, when it was down 4.8% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 16 Nov 2012. The average cost per unit was $5,233.48 against a price today of $17,118.84 (+227.10%). The cheapest buy was $2,158.94 on 1 Jan 2012 and the priciest $17,525.23 on 11 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2012 | $5,300 | $5,559 | +4.89% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $10,500 | $13,286 | +26.54% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $15,700 | $20,717 | +31.96% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $20,900 | $26,221 | +25.46% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $26,100 | $35,000 | +34.10% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $31,400 | $48,503 | +54.47% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $36,600 | $51,181 | +39.84% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $41,800 | $73,130 | +74.95% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $47,000 | $92,787 | +97.42% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $52,200 | $125,304 | +140.05% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $57,400 | $107,537 | +87.35% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $62,700 | $141,776 | +126.12% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $67,900 | $182,943 | +169.43% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $73,100 | $221,461 | +202.96% |
| 11 Nov 2026 | $77,600 | $253,831 | +227.10% |
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 2012 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2012 (776 buys, $77,600 in total) would be worth $253,831 today (+227.10%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2012?
- Investing the same $77,600 in one go on 1 January 2012 would be worth $615,312 today (+692.93%), 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 2012?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 0.8% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 32 days (ending 14 Jun 2012).