DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2012: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2012 (178 buys, $17,800 in total) would be worth $50,305 today (+182.61%).
Backtest 1 January 2012 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$50,305
+182.61% · +12.96%/yr
- Invested
- $17,800.00
- Buys
- 178
- Average cost
- $2,717.22
Lump sum, day one
Winner$108,691
+510.62%
- Invested
- $17,800.00
- Bought at
- $1,257.60
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$108,691
+510.62%
- Bought on
- 1 Jan 2012
- At a price of
- $1,257.60
- 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 0.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 32 days (to 14 Jun 2012). The worst moment was 1 Jun 2012, when it was down 4.5% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 19 Nov 2012. The average cost per unit was $2,717.22 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+182.61%). The cheapest buy was $1,257.60 on 1 Jan 2012 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2012 | $1,200 | $1,248 | +4.03% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $2,400 | $2,992 | +24.67% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $3,600 | $4,618 | +28.28% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $4,800 | $5,781 | +20.43% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $6,000 | $7,617 | +26.95% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $7,200 | $10,417 | +44.68% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $8,400 | $10,860 | +29.29% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $9,600 | $15,347 | +59.87% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $10,800 | $19,281 | +78.52% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $12,000 | $25,829 | +115.24% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $13,200 | $21,924 | +66.09% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $14,400 | $28,585 | +98.51% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $15,600 | $36,569 | +134.42% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $16,800 | $43,895 | +161.28% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $17,800 | $50,305 | +182.61% |
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 2012 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2012 (178 buys, $17,800 in total) would be worth $50,305 today (+182.61%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2012?
- Investing the same $17,800 in one go on 1 January 2012 would be worth $108,691 today (+510.62%), 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 2012?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 0.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 32 days (ending 14 Jun 2012).