DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2009: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2009 (215 buys, $21,500 in total) would be worth $75,346 today (+250.45%).
Backtest 1 January 2009 to 11 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$75,346
+250.45% · +12.69%/yr
- Invested
- $21,500.00
- Buys
- 215
- Average cost
- $2,175.93
Lump sum, day one
Winner$181,508
+744.22%
- Invested
- $21,500.00
- Bought at
- $903.25
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$242,336
+1027.14%
- 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 1.1% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 41 days (to 22 Mar 2009). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 17.0% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 2 Apr 2009. The average cost per unit was $2,175.93 against a price today of $7,625.46 (+250.45%). 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 2009 | $1,200 | $1,455 | +21.24% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $2,400 | $2,985 | +24.38% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $3,600 | $4,171 | +15.87% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $4,800 | $5,979 | +24.56% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $6,000 | $9,123 | +52.05% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $7,200 | $11,447 | +58.99% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $8,400 | $12,560 | +49.52% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $9,600 | $15,043 | +56.70% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $10,800 | $19,285 | +78.56% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $12,000 | $19,175 | +59.79% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $13,200 | $26,063 | +97.45% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $14,400 | $31,739 | +120.41% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $15,600 | $41,638 | +166.91% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $16,800 | $34,659 | +106.30% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $18,000 | $44,406 | +146.70% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $19,200 | $56,077 | +192.07% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $20,400 | $66,600 | +226.47% |
| 11 Nov 2026 | $21,500 | $75,346 | +250.45% |
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 2009 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2009 (215 buys, $21,500 in total) would be worth $75,346 today (+250.45%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2009?
- Investing the same $21,500 in one go on 1 January 2009 would be worth $181,508 today (+744.22%), 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 2009?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.1% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 41 days (ending 22 Mar 2009).