DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2008: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2008 (226 buys, $22,600 in total) would be worth $83,280 today (+268.50%).
Backtest 1 January 2008 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$83,280
+268.50% · +12.46%/yr
- Invested
- $22,600.00
- Buys
- 226
- Average cost
- $2,083.93
Lump sum, day one
Winner$118,193
+422.98%
- Invested
- $22,600.00
- Bought at
- $1,468.36
- Max drawdown
- 53.93%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$256,529
+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 9.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 466 days (to 14 Sept 2009). The worst moment was 20 Nov 2008, when it was down 41.5% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 4 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $2,083.93 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+268.50%). 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 2008 | $1,200 | $883 | -26.44% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $2,400 | $2,545 | +6.03% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $3,600 | $4,214 | +17.06% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $4,800 | $5,400 | +12.51% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $6,000 | $7,373 | +22.88% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $7,200 | $10,929 | +51.79% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $8,400 | $13,459 | +60.23% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $9,600 | $14,557 | +51.64% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $10,800 | $17,231 | +59.54% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $12,000 | $21,898 | +82.48% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $13,200 | $21,625 | +63.82% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $14,400 | $29,221 | +102.92% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $15,600 | $35,409 | +126.98% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $16,800 | $46,296 | +175.57% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $18,000 | $38,411 | +113.39% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $19,200 | $49,067 | +155.56% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $20,400 | $61,825 | +203.06% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $21,600 | $73,290 | +239.31% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $22,600 | $83,280 | +268.50% |
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 2008 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2008 (226 buys, $22,600 in total) would be worth $83,280 today (+268.50%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2008?
- Investing the same $22,600 in one go on 1 January 2008 would be worth $118,193 today (+422.98%), 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 2008?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 9.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 466 days (ending 14 Sept 2009).