DCA history · S&P 500 (Total Return)
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA since 2018: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2018 (460 buys, $46,000 in total) would be worth $95,163 today (+106.88%).
Backtest 1 January 2018 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$95,163
+106.88% · +16.04%/yr
- Invested
- $46,000.00
- Buys
- 460
- Average cost
- $8,328.86
Lump sum, day one
Winner$152,049
+230.54%
- Invested
- $46,000.00
- Bought at
- $5,212.76
- Max drawdown
- 33.79%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$173,834
+277.90%
- Bought on
- 23 Mar 2020
- At a price of
- $4,559.50
- 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 6.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 58 days (to 30 Jan 2019). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 19.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 22 Apr 2020. The average cost per unit was $8,328.86 against a price today of $17,230.38 (+106.88%). The cheapest buy was $4,559.50 on 23 Mar 2020 and the priciest $17,515.58 on 12 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2018 | $5,300 | $4,906 | -7.43% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $10,500 | $12,285 | +17.00% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $15,700 | $20,746 | +32.14% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $20,900 | $32,578 | +55.87% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $26,100 | $31,613 | +21.12% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $31,300 | $45,780 | +46.26% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $36,600 | $63,048 | +72.26% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $41,800 | $80,120 | +91.67% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $46,000 | $95,163 | +106.88% |
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 2018 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 (Total Return) since 1 January 2018 (460 buys, $46,000 in total) would be worth $95,163 today (+106.88%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 (Total Return) since 2018?
- Investing the same $46,000 in one go on 1 January 2018 would be worth $152,049 today (+230.54%), 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 2018?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 6.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 58 days (ending 30 Jan 2019).