DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2016: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2016 (130 buys, $13,000 in total) would be worth $28,587 today (+119.90%).
Backtest 1 January 2016 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$28,587
+119.90% · +13.88%/yr
- Invested
- $13,000.00
- Buys
- 130
- Average cost
- $3,492.11
Lump sum, day one
Winner$48,842
+275.70%
- Invested
- $13,000.00
- Bought at
- $2,043.94
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$54,579
+319.84%
- 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 1.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 58 days (to 1 Mar 2016). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 11.5% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Apr 2020. The average cost per unit was $3,492.11 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+119.90%). The cheapest buy was $1,939.38 on 1 Feb 2016 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2016 | $1,200 | $1,285 | +7.12% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $2,400 | $2,856 | +18.98% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $3,600 | $3,770 | +4.74% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $4,800 | $6,210 | +29.38% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $6,000 | $8,658 | +44.30% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $7,200 | $12,350 | +71.53% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $8,400 | $11,065 | +31.73% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $9,600 | $15,095 | +57.24% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $10,800 | $19,935 | +84.58% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $12,000 | $24,535 | +104.46% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $13,000 | $28,587 | +119.90% |
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 2016 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2016 (130 buys, $13,000 in total) would be worth $28,587 today (+119.90%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2016?
- Investing the same $13,000 in one go on 1 January 2016 would be worth $48,842 today (+275.70%), 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 2016?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 58 days (ending 1 Mar 2016).