DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2019: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2019 (94 buys, $9,400 in total) would be worth $17,027 today (+81.14%).
Backtest 1 January 2019 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$17,027
+81.14% · +14.87%/yr
- Invested
- $9,400.00
- Buys
- 94
- Average cost
- $4,236.90
Lump sum, day one
Winner$28,778
+206.15%
- Invested
- $9,400.00
- Bought at
- $2,506.85
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$32,244
+243.02%
- 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 2.4% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 51 days (to 28 Apr 2020). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 23.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 18 May 2020. The average cost per unit was $4,236.90 against a price today of $7,674.76 (+81.14%). The cheapest buy was $2,470.50 on 1 Apr 2020 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2019 | $1,200 | $1,351 | +12.58% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $2,400 | $3,008 | +25.35% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $3,600 | $5,181 | +43.92% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $4,800 | $5,290 | +10.21% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $6,000 | $7,921 | +32.02% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $7,200 | $11,089 | +54.01% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $8,400 | $14,239 | +69.51% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $9,400 | $17,027 | +81.14% |
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 2019 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2019 (94 buys, $9,400 in total) would be worth $17,027 today (+81.14%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2019?
- Investing the same $9,400 in one go on 1 January 2019 would be worth $28,778 today (+206.15%), 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 2019?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 2.4% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 51 days (ending 28 Apr 2020).