DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2014: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2014 (154 buys, $15,400 in total) would be worth $37,874 today (+145.94%).
Backtest 1 January 2014 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$37,874
+145.94% · +13.18%/yr
- Invested
- $15,400.00
- Buys
- 154
- Average cost
- $3,122.44
Lump sum, day one
Winner$63,981
+315.46%
- Invested
- $15,400.00
- Bought at
- $1,848.36
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$67,891
+340.85%
- Bought on
- 3 Feb 2014
- At a price of
- $1,741.89
- 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 3.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 55 days (to 1 Mar 2016). The worst moment was 11 Feb 2016, when it was down 7.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 24 Mar 2020. The average cost per unit was $3,122.44 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+145.94%). The cheapest buy was $1,782.59 on 1 Feb 2014 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2014 | $1,200 | $1,285 | +7.11% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $2,400 | $2,472 | +2.99% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $3,600 | $3,993 | +10.91% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $4,800 | $6,089 | +26.85% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $6,000 | $6,802 | +13.37% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $7,200 | $10,117 | +40.52% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $8,400 | $13,200 | +57.15% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $9,600 | $18,114 | +88.69% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $10,800 | $15,709 | +45.45% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $12,000 | $20,864 | +73.86% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $13,200 | $27,048 | +104.91% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $14,400 | $32,813 | +127.87% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $15,400 | $37,874 | +145.94% |
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 2014 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2014 (154 buys, $15,400 in total) would be worth $37,874 today (+145.94%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2014?
- Investing the same $15,400 in one go on 1 January 2014 would be worth $63,981 today (+315.46%), 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 2014?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 3.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 55 days (ending 1 Mar 2016).