DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2003: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2003 (286 buys, $28,600 in total) would be worth $122,146 today (+327.08%).
Backtest 1 January 2003 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$122,146
+327.08% · +10.73%/yr
- Invested
- $28,600.00
- Buys
- 286
- Average cost
- $1,798.05
Lump sum, day one
Winner$249,624
+772.81%
- Invested
- $28,600.00
- Bought at
- $879.82
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$324,634
+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 8.4% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 466 days (to 7 Jan 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 42.2% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,798.05 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+327.08%). 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 2003 | $1,200 | $1,411 | +17.56% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $2,400 | $2,826 | +17.75% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $3,600 | $4,152 | +15.33% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $4,800 | $6,023 | +25.48% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $6,000 | $7,432 | +23.86% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $7,200 | $5,454 | -24.25% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $8,400 | $8,188 | -2.52% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $9,600 | $10,579 | +10.20% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $10,800 | $11,765 | +8.94% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $12,000 | $14,591 | +21.59% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $13,200 | $20,284 | +53.67% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $14,400 | $23,880 | +65.83% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $15,600 | $24,902 | +59.63% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $16,800 | $28,562 | +70.01% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $18,000 | $35,429 | +96.83% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $19,200 | $34,313 | +78.71% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $20,400 | $45,572 | +123.39% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $21,600 | $54,420 | +151.94% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $22,800 | $70,418 | +208.85% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $24,000 | $57,843 | +141.01% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $25,200 | $73,208 | +190.51% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $26,400 | $91,593 | +246.94% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $27,600 | $107,936 | +291.07% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $28,600 | $122,146 | +327.08% |
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 2003 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2003 (286 buys, $28,600 in total) would be worth $122,146 today (+327.08%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2003?
- Investing the same $28,600 in one go on 1 January 2003 would be worth $249,624 today (+772.81%), 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 2003?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 8.4% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 466 days (ending 7 Jan 2010).