DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2000: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2000 (322 buys, $32,200 in total) would be worth $145,461 today (+351.74%).
Backtest 1 January 2000 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$145,461
+351.74% · +9.81%/yr
- Invested
- $32,200.00
- Buys
- 322
- Average cost
- $1,699.90
Lump sum, day one
Winner$168,296
+422.66%
- Invested
- $32,200.00
- Bought at
- $1,469.25
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$365,497
+1035.08%
- Bought on
- 9 Mar 2009
- At a price of
- $676.53
- 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 22% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 1,193 days (to 4 Jan 2004). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 42.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 28 Nov 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,699.90 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+351.74%). The cheapest buy was $735.09 on 1 Mar 2009 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2000 | $1,200 | $1,103 | -8.08% |
| 31 Dec 2001 | $2,400 | $2,110 | -12.10% |
| 31 Dec 2002 | $3,600 | $2,671 | -25.80% |
| 31 Dec 2003 | $4,800 | $4,787 | -0.28% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $6,000 | $6,506 | +8.43% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $7,200 | $7,942 | +10.30% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $8,400 | $10,329 | +22.96% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $9,600 | $11,890 | +23.85% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $10,800 | $8,197 | -24.11% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $12,000 | $11,574 | -3.55% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $13,200 | $14,398 | +9.07% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $14,400 | $15,583 | +8.22% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $15,600 | $18,921 | +21.29% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $16,800 | $25,896 | +54.14% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $18,000 | $30,131 | +67.39% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $19,200 | $31,108 | +62.02% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $20,400 | $35,359 | +73.33% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $21,600 | $43,547 | +101.61% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $22,800 | $41,924 | +83.88% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $24,000 | $55,381 | +130.76% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $25,200 | $65,824 | +161.21% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $26,400 | $84,889 | +221.55% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $27,600 | $69,501 | +151.81% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $28,800 | $87,690 | +204.48% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $30,000 | $109,451 | +264.84% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $31,200 | $128,720 | +312.57% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $32,200 | $145,461 | +351.74% |
Try a different start
Monthly $100 into S&P 500, 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 month in S&P 500 since 2000 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2000 (322 buys, $32,200 in total) would be worth $145,461 today (+351.74%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2000?
- Investing the same $32,200 in one go on 1 January 2000 would be worth $168,296 today (+422.66%), 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 DCA underwater since 2000?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 22% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 1,193 days (ending 4 Jan 2004).