DCA history · S&P 500

S&P 500 DCA since 2009: $100 weekly

Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2009 (930 buys, $93,000 in total) would be worth $327,523 today (+252.17%).

Backtest 1 January 2009 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →

Dollar-cost averaging

$327,523

+252.17% · +12.81%/yr

Invested
$93,000.00
Buys
930
Average cost
$2,180.76

Lump sum, day one

Winner

$790,753

+750.27%

Invested
$93,000.00
Bought at
$903.25
Max drawdown
33.92%

Perfect timing (hindsight)

$1,055,751

+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 1.1% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 41 days (to 22 Mar 2009). The worst moment was 9 Mar 2009, when it was down 17.2% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 1 Apr 2009. The average cost per unit was $2,180.76 against a price today of $7,680.08 (+252.17%). The cheapest buy was $682.55 on 5 Mar 2009 and the priciest $7,798.99 on 13 Aug 2026.

Year by year

As ofInvestedWorthReturn
31 Dec 2009$5,300$6,316+19.17%
31 Dec 2010$10,500$12,870+22.57%
31 Dec 2011$15,700$18,039+14.90%
31 Dec 2012$20,900$25,839+23.63%
31 Dec 2013$26,100$39,365+50.82%
31 Dec 2014$31,300$49,406+57.85%
31 Dec 2015$36,600$54,300+48.36%
31 Dec 2016$41,800$65,047+55.61%
31 Dec 2017$47,000$83,369+77.38%
31 Dec 2018$52,200$82,923+58.86%
31 Dec 2019$57,400$112,658+96.27%
31 Dec 2020$62,700$137,220+118.85%
31 Dec 2021$67,900$179,943+165.01%
31 Dec 2022$73,100$149,855+105.00%
31 Dec 2023$78,300$191,974+145.18%
31 Dec 2024$83,500$242,384+190.28%
31 Dec 2025$88,700$287,874+224.55%
22 Oct 2026$93,000$327,523+252.17%

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.

Same plan every month instead →

Frequently asked questions

How much would $100 every week in S&P 500 since 2009 be worth today?
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2009 (930 buys, $93,000 in total) would be worth $327,523 today (+252.17%).
Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2009?
Investing the same $93,000 in one go on 1 January 2009 would be worth $790,753 today (+750.27%), 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 2009?
The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.1% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 41 days (ending 22 Mar 2009).
A historical simulation, not financial advice. Past performance does not predict future results; the value of investments can fall as well as rise. Figures use daily closing prices (trading days carried forward over weekends and holidays) with a live quote for today, USD, and no fees. This is the price index, which excludes dividends; see the total return version for dividends reinvested.