DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2003: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2003 (1,243 buys, $124,300 in total) would be worth $529,738 today (+326.18%).
Backtest 1 January 2003 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$529,738
+326.18% · +10.73%/yr
- Invested
- $124,300.00
- Buys
- 1,243
- Average cost
- $1,802.09
Lump sum, day one
Winner$1,085,033
+772.91%
- Invested
- $124,300.00
- Bought at
- $879.82
- Max drawdown
- 56.78%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$1,411,074
+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 8.5% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 466 days (to 7 Jan 2010). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 42.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $1,802.09 against a price today of $7,680.08 (+326.18%). The cheapest buy was $712.87 on 4 Mar 2009 and the priciest $7,801.77 on 7 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2003 | $5,300 | $6,153 | +16.10% |
| 31 Dec 2004 | $10,500 | $12,278 | +16.94% |
| 31 Dec 2005 | $15,700 | $18,027 | +14.82% |
| 31 Dec 2006 | $20,900 | $26,115 | +24.95% |
| 31 Dec 2007 | $26,100 | $32,206 | +23.39% |
| 31 Dec 2008 | $31,400 | $23,862 | -24.01% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $36,600 | $35,664 | -2.56% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $41,800 | $45,970 | +9.98% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $47,000 | $51,140 | +8.81% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $52,200 | $63,383 | +21.42% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $57,400 | $88,030 | +53.36% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $62,700 | $103,712 | +65.41% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $67,900 | $108,117 | +59.23% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $73,100 | $123,998 | +69.63% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $78,300 | $153,766 | +96.38% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $83,500 | $148,928 | +78.36% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $88,700 | $197,732 | +122.92% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $94,000 | $236,114 | +151.19% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $99,200 | $305,443 | +207.91% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $104,400 | $250,946 | +140.37% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $109,600 | $317,565 | +189.75% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $114,800 | $397,256 | +246.04% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $120,100 | $468,215 | +289.85% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $124,300 | $529,738 | +326.18% |
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 2003 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2003 (1,243 buys, $124,300 in total) would be worth $529,738 today (+326.18%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2003?
- Investing the same $124,300 in one go on 1 January 2003 would be worth $1,085,033 today (+772.91%), 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 2003?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 8.5% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 466 days (ending 7 Jan 2010).