DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2001: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2001 (310 buys, $31,000 in total) would be worth $139,046 today (+348.53%).
Backtest 1 January 2001 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$139,046
+348.53% · +10.16%/yr
- Invested
- $31,000.00
- Buys
- 310
- Average cost
- $1,712.06
Lump sum, day one
Winner$180,306
+481.63%
- Invested
- $31,000.00
- Bought at
- $1,320.28
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$351,876
+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 17.3% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 832 days (to 17 Sept 2003). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 41.2% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 5 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,712.06 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+348.53%). 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 2001 | $1,200 | $1,150 | -4.13% |
| 31 Dec 2002 | $2,400 | $1,936 | -19.32% |
| 31 Dec 2003 | $3,600 | $3,858 | +7.16% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $4,800 | $5,493 | +14.44% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $6,000 | $6,899 | +14.98% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $7,200 | $9,144 | +27.00% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $8,400 | $10,663 | +26.94% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $9,600 | $7,442 | -22.48% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $10,800 | $10,642 | -1.46% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $12,000 | $13,347 | +11.23% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $13,200 | $14,533 | +10.10% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $14,400 | $17,729 | +23.12% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $15,600 | $24,352 | +56.10% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $16,800 | $28,411 | +69.11% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $18,000 | $29,400 | +63.34% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $19,200 | $33,489 | +74.42% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $20,400 | $41,313 | +102.52% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $21,600 | $39,829 | +84.40% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $22,800 | $52,682 | +131.06% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $24,000 | $62,686 | +161.19% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $25,200 | $80,907 | +221.06% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $26,400 | $66,293 | +151.11% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $27,600 | $83,705 | +203.28% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $28,800 | $104,537 | +262.98% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $30,000 | $123,001 | +310.00% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $31,000 | $139,046 | +348.53% |
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 2001 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2001 (310 buys, $31,000 in total) would be worth $139,046 today (+348.53%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2001?
- Investing the same $31,000 in one go on 1 January 2001 would be worth $180,306 today (+481.63%), 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 2001?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 17.3% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 832 days (ending 17 Sept 2003).