DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2005: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2005 (262 buys, $26,200 in total) would be worth $104,239 today (+297.86%).
Backtest 1 January 2005 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$104,239
+297.86% · +11.24%/yr
- Invested
- $26,200.00
- Buys
- 262
- Average cost
- $1,930.13
Lump sum, day one
Winner$166,013
+533.64%
- Invested
- $26,200.00
- Bought at
- $1,211.92
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$297,392
+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 13.3% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 658 days (to 8 Apr 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 46.0% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 30 Nov 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,930.13 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+297.86%). 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 2005 | $1,200 | $1,241 | +3.42% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $2,400 | $2,716 | +13.15% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $3,600 | $4,008 | +11.32% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $4,800 | $3,348 | -30.25% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $6,000 | $5,588 | -6.87% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $7,200 | $7,647 | +6.20% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $8,400 | $8,833 | +5.15% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $9,600 | $11,265 | +17.34% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $10,800 | $15,974 | +47.91% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $12,000 | $19,079 | +58.99% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $13,200 | $20,136 | +52.55% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $14,400 | $23,341 | +62.09% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $15,600 | $29,195 | +87.15% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $16,800 | $28,467 | +69.45% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $18,000 | $38,038 | +111.32% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $19,200 | $45,661 | +137.82% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $20,400 | $59,304 | +190.71% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $21,600 | $48,890 | +126.34% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $22,800 | $62,085 | +172.30% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $24,000 | $77,878 | +224.49% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $25,200 | $91,974 | +264.97% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $26,200 | $104,239 | +297.86% |
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 2005 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2005 (262 buys, $26,200 in total) would be worth $104,239 today (+297.86%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2005?
- Investing the same $26,200 in one go on 1 January 2005 would be worth $166,013 today (+533.64%), 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 2005?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 13.3% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 658 days (ending 8 Apr 2010).