DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2015: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2015 (142 buys, $14,200 in total) would be worth $33,061 today (+132.83%).
Backtest 1 January 2015 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$33,061
+132.83% · +13.52%/yr
- Invested
- $14,200.00
- Buys
- 142
- Average cost
- $3,296.36
Lump sum, day one
Winner$52,932
+272.76%
- Invested
- $14,200.00
- Bought at
- $2,058.90
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$59,583
+319.60%
- Bought on
- 11 Feb 2016
- At a price of
- $1,829.08
- 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 5% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 77 days (to 16 Mar 2016). The worst moment was 11 Feb 2016, when it was down 10.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 24 Mar 2020. The average cost per unit was $3,296.36 against a price today of $7,674.76 (+132.83%). The cheapest buy was $1,913.85 on 1 Sept 2015 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2015 | $1,200 | $1,196 | -0.34% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $2,400 | $2,595 | +8.14% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $3,600 | $4,420 | +22.78% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $4,800 | $5,237 | +9.11% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $6,000 | $8,101 | +35.01% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $7,200 | $10,856 | +50.77% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $8,400 | $15,139 | +80.22% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $9,600 | $13,312 | +38.66% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $10,800 | $17,886 | +65.61% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $12,000 | $23,376 | +94.80% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $13,200 | $28,540 | +116.21% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $14,200 | $33,061 | +132.83% |
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 2015 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2015 (142 buys, $14,200 in total) would be worth $33,061 today (+132.83%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2015?
- Investing the same $14,200 in one go on 1 January 2015 would be worth $52,932 today (+272.76%), 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 2015?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 5% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 77 days (ending 16 Mar 2016).