DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2007: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2007 (238 buys, $23,800 in total) would be worth $89,536 today (+276.20%).
Backtest 1 January 2007 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$89,536
+276.20% · +11.97%/yr
- Invested
- $23,800.00
- Buys
- 238
- Average cost
- $2,041.23
Lump sum, day one
Winner$128,862
+441.44%
- Invested
- $23,800.00
- Bought at
- $1,418.30
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$270,150
+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 14.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 806 days (to 15 Mar 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 45.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 28 Nov 2011. The average cost per unit was $2,041.23 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+276.20%). 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 2007 | $1,200 | $1,196 | -0.31% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $2,400 | $1,619 | -32.56% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $3,600 | $3,453 | -4.08% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $4,800 | $5,239 | +9.14% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $6,000 | $6,425 | +7.08% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $7,200 | $8,534 | +18.53% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $8,400 | $12,435 | +48.04% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $9,600 | $15,137 | +57.67% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $10,800 | $16,223 | +50.21% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $12,000 | $19,055 | +58.79% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $13,200 | $24,076 | +82.39% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $14,400 | $23,667 | +64.36% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $15,600 | $31,853 | +104.18% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $16,800 | $38,470 | +128.99% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $18,000 | $50,179 | +178.77% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $19,200 | $41,539 | +116.35% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $20,400 | $52,953 | +159.57% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $21,600 | $66,617 | +208.41% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $22,800 | $78,867 | +245.91% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $23,800 | $89,536 | +276.20% |
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 2007 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2007 (238 buys, $23,800 in total) would be worth $89,536 today (+276.20%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2007?
- Investing the same $23,800 in one go on 1 January 2007 would be worth $128,862 today (+441.44%), 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 2007?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 14.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 806 days (ending 15 Mar 2010).