DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2011: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2011 (825 buys, $82,500 in total) would be worth $249,328 today (+202.22%).
Backtest 1 January 2011 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$249,328
+202.22% · +12.86%/yr
- Invested
- $82,500.00
- Buys
- 825
- Average cost
- $2,541.26
Lump sum, day one
Winner$503,806
+510.67%
- Invested
- $82,500.00
- Bought at
- $1,257.64
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$576,409
+598.68%
- Bought on
- 3 Oct 2011
- At a price of
- $1,099.23
- 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 3.4% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 92 days (to 26 Oct 2011). The worst moment was 8 Aug 2011, when it was down 14.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Jun 2012. The average cost per unit was $2,541.26 against a price today of $7,680.08 (+202.22%). The cheapest buy was $1,123.53 on 20 Aug 2011 and the priciest $7,811.54 on 10 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2011 | $5,300 | $5,271 | -0.55% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $10,500 | $11,357 | +8.16% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $15,700 | $20,581 | +31.09% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $20,900 | $28,479 | +36.26% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $26,100 | $33,433 | +28.09% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $31,400 | $42,301 | +34.72% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $36,600 | $56,198 | +53.55% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $41,800 | $57,451 | +37.44% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $47,000 | $79,816 | +69.82% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $52,200 | $98,940 | +89.54% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $57,400 | $131,387 | +128.90% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $62,700 | $110,826 | +76.76% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $67,900 | $143,476 | +111.31% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $73,100 | $182,574 | +149.76% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $78,300 | $218,265 | +178.75% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $82,500 | $249,328 | +202.22% |
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 2011 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2011 (825 buys, $82,500 in total) would be worth $249,328 today (+202.22%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2011?
- Investing the same $82,500 in one go on 1 January 2011 would be worth $503,806 today (+510.67%), 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 2011?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 3.4% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 92 days (ending 26 Oct 2011).