DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2004: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2004 (274 buys, $27,400 in total) would be worth $112,404 today (+310.23%).
Backtest 1 January 2004 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$112,404
+310.23% · +10.94%/yr
- Invested
- $27,400.00
- Buys
- 274
- Average cost
- $1,871.91
Lump sum, day one
Winner$189,231
+590.62%
- Invested
- $27,400.00
- Bought at
- $1,111.92
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$311,013
+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 580 days (to 4 Apr 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 44.8% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 28 Nov 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,871.91 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+310.23%). 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 2004 | $1,200 | $1,289 | +7.38% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $2,400 | $2,568 | +7.01% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $3,600 | $4,223 | +17.32% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $4,800 | $5,569 | +16.02% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $6,000 | $4,308 | -28.19% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $7,200 | $6,774 | -5.92% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $8,400 | $8,984 | +6.95% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $9,600 | $10,170 | +5.93% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $10,800 | $12,781 | +18.35% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $12,000 | $17,939 | +49.49% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $13,200 | $21,268 | +61.12% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $14,400 | $22,309 | +54.92% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $15,600 | $25,722 | +64.88% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $16,800 | $32,037 | +90.70% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $18,000 | $31,132 | +72.96% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $19,200 | $41,473 | +116.01% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $20,400 | $49,655 | +143.40% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $21,600 | $64,372 | +198.02% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $22,800 | $52,972 | +132.34% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $24,000 | $67,157 | +179.82% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $25,200 | $84,132 | +233.86% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $26,400 | $99,252 | +275.95% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $27,400 | $112,404 | +310.23% |
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 2004 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2004 (274 buys, $27,400 in total) would be worth $112,404 today (+310.23%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2004?
- Investing the same $27,400 in one go on 1 January 2004 would be worth $189,231 today (+590.62%), 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 2004?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 12.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 580 days (ending 4 Apr 2010).