DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2016: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2016 (564 buys, $56,400 in total) would be worth $136,959 today (+142.83%).
Backtest 1 January 2016 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$136,959
+142.83% · +15.63%/yr
- Invested
- $56,400.00
- Buys
- 564
- Average cost
- $7,095.51
Lump sum, day one
Winner$254,290
+350.87%
- Invested
- $56,400.00
- Bought at
- $3,821.60
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$283,405
+402.49%
- 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 1.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 25 days (to 28 Jan 2016). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 7.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 24 Mar 2020. The average cost per unit was $7,095.51 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+142.83%). The cheapest buy was $3,496.28 on 12 Feb 2016 and the priciest $17,525.23 on 9 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2016 | $5,300 | $5,743 | +8.37% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $10,500 | $12,737 | +21.31% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $15,700 | $16,984 | +8.18% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $20,900 | $28,165 | +34.76% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $26,100 | $39,549 | +51.53% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $31,400 | $56,884 | +81.16% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $36,600 | $51,527 | +40.78% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $41,800 | $70,916 | +69.65% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $47,000 | $94,353 | +100.75% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $52,200 | $117,032 | +124.20% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $56,400 | $136,959 | +142.83% |
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 2016 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2016 (564 buys, $56,400 in total) would be worth $136,959 today (+142.83%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2016?
- Investing the same $56,400 in one go on 1 January 2016 would be worth $254,290 today (+350.87%), 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 2016?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 25 days (ending 28 Jan 2016).