DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)

S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2015: $100 weekly

Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2015 (617 buys, $61,700 in total) would be worth $160,560 today (+160.23%).

Backtest 1 January 2015 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →

Dollar-cost averaging

$160,560

+160.23% · +15.30%/yr

Invested
$61,700.00
Buys
617
Average cost
$6,618.58

Lump sum, day one

Winner

$281,920

+356.92%

Invested
$61,700.00
Bought at
$3,769.44
Max drawdown
33.79%

Perfect timing (hindsight)

$309,911

+402.29%

Bought on
11 Feb 2016
At a price of
$3,428.99
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 4.3% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 67 days (to 10 Mar 2016). The worst moment was 25 Aug 2015, when it was down 9.8% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 24 Mar 2020. The average cost per unit was $6,618.58 against a price today of $17,223.37 (+160.23%). The cheapest buy was $3,428.99 on 11 Feb 2016 and the priciest $17,460.76 on 13 Aug 2026.

Year by year

As ofInvestedWorthReturn
31 Dec 2015$5,300$5,309+0.17%
31 Dec 2016$10,500$11,575+10.24%
31 Dec 2017$15,700$19,850+26.43%
31 Dec 2018$20,900$23,781+13.78%
31 Dec 2019$26,100$37,117+42.21%
31 Dec 2020$31,400$50,248+60.03%
31 Dec 2021$36,600$70,533+92.71%
31 Dec 2022$41,800$62,698+49.99%
31 Dec 2023$47,000$85,036+80.93%
31 Dec 2024$52,200$112,015+114.59%
31 Dec 2025$57,400$137,850+140.16%
22 Oct 2026$61,700$160,560+160.23%

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.

Same plan every month instead →

Frequently asked questions

How much would $100 every week in S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2015 be worth today?
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2015 (617 buys, $61,700 in total) would be worth $160,560 today (+160.23%).
Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2015?
Investing the same $61,700 in one go on 1 January 2015 would be worth $281,920 today (+356.92%), 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 2015?
The plan was worth less than the money invested on 4.3% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 67 days (ending 10 Mar 2016).
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.