DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2002: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2002 (298 buys, $29,800 in total) would be worth $131,351 today (+340.78%).
Backtest 1 January 2002 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$131,351
+340.78% · +10.48%/yr
- Invested
- $29,800.00
- Buys
- 298
- Average cost
- $1,742.20
Lump sum, day one
Winner$199,324
+568.87%
- Invested
- $29,800.00
- Bought at
- $1,148.08
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$338,255
+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 12.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 451 days (to 23 Dec 2009). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 40.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 5 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,742.20 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+340.77%). 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 2002 | $1,200 | $1,055 | -12.11% |
| 31 Dec 2003 | $2,400 | $2,744 | +14.31% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $3,600 | $4,279 | +18.86% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $4,800 | $5,648 | +17.67% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $6,000 | $7,723 | +28.72% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $7,200 | $9,192 | +27.66% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $8,400 | $6,537 | -22.18% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $9,600 | $9,525 | -0.78% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $10,800 | $12,087 | +11.92% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $12,000 | $13,273 | +10.61% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $13,200 | $16,300 | +23.49% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $14,400 | $22,500 | +56.25% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $15,600 | $26,348 | +68.90% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $16,800 | $27,352 | +62.81% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $18,000 | $31,246 | +73.59% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $19,200 | $38,634 | +101.22% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $20,400 | $37,318 | +82.93% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $21,600 | $49,445 | +128.91% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $22,800 | $58,922 | +158.43% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $24,000 | $76,132 | +217.22% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $25,200 | $62,446 | +147.80% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $26,400 | $78,926 | +198.96% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $27,600 | $98,644 | +257.40% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $28,800 | $116,142 | +303.27% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $29,800 | $131,351 | +340.78% |
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 2002 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2002 (298 buys, $29,800 in total) would be worth $131,351 today (+340.78%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2002?
- Investing the same $29,800 in one go on 1 January 2002 would be worth $199,324 today (+568.87%), 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 DCA underwater since 2002?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 12.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 451 days (ending 23 Dec 2009).