DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2020: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2020 (83 buys, $8,300 in total) would be worth $13,781 today (+66.03%).
Backtest 1 January 2020 to 12 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$13,781
+66.03% · +14.60%/yr
- Invested
- $8,300.00
- Buys
- 83
- Average cost
- $4,576.38
Lump sum, day one
Winner$19,520
+135.18%
- Invested
- $8,300.00
- Bought at
- $3,230.78
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$28,187
+239.60%
- 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 4.5% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 65 days (to 28 Apr 2020). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 28.5% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 4 Nov 2022. The average cost per unit was $4,576.38 against a price today of $7,598.18 (+66.03%). 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 2020 | $1,200 | $1,438 | +19.83% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $2,400 | $3,188 | +32.85% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $3,600 | $3,685 | +2.36% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $4,800 | $5,927 | +23.47% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $6,000 | $8,629 | +43.82% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $7,200 | $11,376 | +58.00% |
| 12 Nov 2026 | $8,300 | $13,781 | +66.03% |
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 2020 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2020 (83 buys, $8,300 in total) would be worth $13,781 today (+66.03%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2020?
- Investing the same $8,300 in one go on 1 January 2020 would be worth $19,520 today (+135.18%), 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 2020?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 4.5% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 65 days (ending 28 Apr 2020).