DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2002: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2002 (1,295 buys, $129,500 in total) would be worth $570,495 today (+340.54%).
Backtest 1 January 2002 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$570,495
+340.54% · +10.49%/yr
- Invested
- $129,500.00
- Buys
- 1,295
- Average cost
- $1,743.35
Lump sum, day one
Winner$866,290
+568.95%
- Invested
- $129,500.00
- Bought at
- $1,148.08
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$1,470,105
+1035.22%
- Bought on
- 9 Mar 2009
- At a price of
- $676.53
- 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 12% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 449 days (to 23 Dec 2009). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 40.8% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 5 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,743.35 against a price today of $7,680.08 (+340.54%). The cheapest buy was $696.33 on 3 Mar 2009 and the priciest $7,818.93 on 6 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2002 | $5,300 | $4,759 | -10.20% |
| 31 Dec 2003 | $10,500 | $12,036 | +14.63% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $15,700 | $18,693 | +19.07% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $20,900 | $24,635 | +17.87% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $26,100 | $33,633 | +28.86% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $31,300 | $40,001 | +27.80% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $36,600 | $28,625 | -21.79% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $41,800 | $41,562 | -0.57% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $47,000 | $52,633 | +11.99% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $52,200 | $57,794 | +10.72% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $57,400 | $70,928 | +23.57% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $62,700 | $97,908 | +56.15% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $67,900 | $114,608 | +68.79% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $73,100 | $118,943 | +62.71% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $78,300 | $135,858 | +73.51% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $83,500 | $167,936 | +101.12% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $88,700 | $162,219 | +82.88% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $94,000 | $214,964 | +128.69% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $99,200 | $256,034 | +158.10% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $104,400 | $330,721 | +216.78% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $109,600 | $271,313 | +147.55% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $114,800 | $342,861 | +198.66% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $120,100 | $428,550 | +256.83% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $125,300 | $504,540 | +302.67% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $129,500 | $570,495 | +340.54% |
Try a different start
Weekly $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 week in S&P 500 since 2002 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2002 (1,295 buys, $129,500 in total) would be worth $570,495 today (+340.54%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2002?
- Investing the same $129,500 in one go on 1 January 2002 would be worth $866,290 today (+568.95%), 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 2002?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 12% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 449 days (ending 23 Dec 2009).