DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2017: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2017 (118 buys, $11,800 in total) would be worth $24,178 today (+104.90%).
Backtest 1 January 2017 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$24,178
+104.90% · +14.04%/yr
- Invested
- $11,800.00
- Buys
- 118
- Average cost
- $3,747.75
Lump sum, day one
Winner$40,474
+243.00%
- Invested
- $11,800.00
- Bought at
- $2,238.83
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$40,500
+243.22%
- Bought on
- 23 Mar 2020
- At a price of
- $2,237.40
- 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 1.3% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 23 days (to 8 Jan 2019). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 17.2% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 8 Apr 2020. The average cost per unit was $3,747.75 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+104.90%). The cheapest buy was $2,238.83 on 1 Jan 2017 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2017 | $1,200 | $1,321 | +10.05% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $2,400 | $2,331 | -2.87% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $3,600 | $4,355 | +20.98% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $4,800 | $6,501 | +35.45% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $6,000 | $9,614 | +60.23% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $7,200 | $8,861 | +23.07% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $8,400 | $12,357 | +47.10% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $9,600 | $16,558 | +72.48% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $10,800 | $20,605 | +90.78% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $11,800 | $24,178 | +104.90% |
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 2017 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2017 (118 buys, $11,800 in total) would be worth $24,178 today (+104.90%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2017?
- Investing the same $11,800 in one go on 1 January 2017 would be worth $40,474 today (+243.00%), 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 2017?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.3% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 23 days (ending 8 Jan 2019).