DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2006: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2006 (250 buys, $25,000 in total) would be worth $96,604 today (+286.42%).
Backtest 1 January 2006 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$96,604
+286.42% · +11.57%/yr
- Invested
- $25,000.00
- Buys
- 250
- Average cost
- $1,987.28
Lump sum, day one
Winner$153,794
+515.18%
- Invested
- $25,000.00
- Bought at
- $1,248.29
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$283,771
+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 14.4% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 669 days (to 5 Apr 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 46.6% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 29 Nov 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,987.28 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+286.42%). 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 2006 | $1,200 | $1,305 | +8.78% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $2,400 | $2,548 | +6.16% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $3,600 | $2,450 | -31.95% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $4,800 | $4,479 | -6.68% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $6,000 | $6,396 | +6.61% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $7,200 | $7,582 | +5.31% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $8,400 | $9,847 | +17.23% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $9,600 | $14,136 | +47.25% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $10,800 | $17,032 | +57.70% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $12,000 | $18,104 | +50.87% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $13,200 | $21,115 | +59.97% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $14,400 | $26,537 | +84.28% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $15,600 | $25,975 | +66.50% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $16,800 | $34,826 | +107.30% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $18,000 | $41,927 | +132.93% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $19,200 | $54,566 | +184.20% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $20,400 | $45,073 | +120.95% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $21,600 | $57,343 | +165.48% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $22,800 | $72,031 | +215.92% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $24,000 | $85,168 | +254.87% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $25,000 | $96,604 | +286.42% |
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 2006 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2006 (250 buys, $25,000 in total) would be worth $96,604 today (+286.42%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2006?
- Investing the same $25,000 in one go on 1 January 2006 would be worth $153,794 today (+515.18%), 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 2006?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 14.4% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 669 days (ending 5 Apr 2010).