DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2008: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2008 (982 buys, $98,200 in total) would be worth $361,272 today (+267.89%).
Backtest 1 January 2008 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$361,272
+267.89% · +12.47%/yr
- Invested
- $98,200.00
- Buys
- 982
- Average cost
- $2,087.58
Lump sum, day one
Winner$513,623
+423.04%
- Invested
- $98,200.00
- Bought at
- $1,468.36
- Max drawdown
- 53.93%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$1,114,783
+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 8.4% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 461 days (to 9 Sept 2009). The worst moment was 20 Nov 2008, when it was down 39.7% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 4 Oct 2011. The average cost per unit was $2,087.58 against a price today of $7,680.08 (+267.89%). 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 2008 | $5,300 | $4,019 | -24.18% |
| 31 Dec 2009 | $10,500 | $11,184 | +6.52% |
| 31 Dec 2010 | $15,700 | $18,372 | +17.02% |
| 31 Dec 2011 | $20,900 | $23,534 | +12.60% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $26,100 | $32,075 | +22.89% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $31,400 | $47,555 | +51.45% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $36,600 | $58,519 | +59.89% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $41,800 | $63,262 | +51.34% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $47,000 | $74,868 | +59.29% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $52,200 | $95,101 | +82.19% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $57,400 | $93,926 | +63.63% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $62,700 | $126,951 | +102.47% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $67,900 | $153,710 | +126.38% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $73,100 | $200,880 | +174.80% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $78,300 | $166,717 | +112.92% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $83,500 | $212,920 | +154.99% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $88,800 | $268,321 | +202.16% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $94,000 | $318,054 | +238.36% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $98,200 | $361,272 | +267.89% |
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 2008 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2008 (982 buys, $98,200 in total) would be worth $361,272 today (+267.89%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2008?
- Investing the same $98,200 in one go on 1 January 2008 would be worth $513,623 today (+423.04%), 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 2008?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 8.4% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 461 days (ending 9 Sept 2009).