DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2017: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2017 (512 buys, $51,200 in total) would be worth $114,232 today (+123.11%).
Backtest 1 January 2017 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$114,232
+123.11% · +15.74%/yr
- Invested
- $51,200.00
- Buys
- 512
- Average cost
- $7,722.82
Lump sum, day one
Winner$206,185
+302.71%
- Invested
- $51,200.00
- Bought at
- $4,278.66
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$206,185
+302.71%
- Bought on
- 1 Jan 2017
- At a price of
- $4,278.66
- 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% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 16 days (to 3 Jan 2019). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 14.5% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Apr 2020. The average cost per unit was $7,722.82 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+123.11%). The cheapest buy was $4,278.66 on 1 Jan 2017 and the priciest $17,525.23 on 11 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2017 | $5,300 | $5,862 | +10.60% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $10,500 | $10,410 | -0.86% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $15,700 | $19,521 | +24.33% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $20,900 | $29,315 | +40.26% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $26,100 | $43,612 | +67.10% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $31,300 | $40,640 | +29.84% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $36,600 | $57,293 | +56.54% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $41,800 | $77,323 | +84.98% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $47,000 | $96,956 | +106.29% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $51,200 | $114,232 | +123.11% |
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 2017 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2017 (512 buys, $51,200 in total) would be worth $114,232 today (+123.11%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2017?
- Investing the same $51,200 in one go on 1 January 2017 would be worth $206,185 today (+302.71%), 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 2017?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 16 days (ending 3 Jan 2019).