DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2012: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2012 (776 buys, $77,600 in total) would be worth $216,505 today (+179.00%).
Backtest 1 January 2012 to 11 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$216,505
+179.00% · +12.79%/yr
- Invested
- $77,600.00
- Buys
- 776
- Average cost
- $2,733.12
Lump sum, day one
Winner$470,528
+506.35%
- Invested
- $77,600.00
- Bought at
- $1,257.60
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$470,528
+506.35%
- Bought on
- 1 Jan 2012
- At a price of
- $1,257.60
- 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% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 35 days (to 17 Jun 2012). The worst moment was 1 Jun 2012, when it was down 5.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 19 Nov 2012. The average cost per unit was $2,733.12 against a price today of $7,625.46 (+179.00%). The cheapest buy was $1,257.60 on 1 Jan 2012 and the priciest $7,811.54 on 11 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2012 | $5,300 | $5,493 | +3.64% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $10,500 | $12,981 | +23.63% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $15,700 | $20,013 | +27.47% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $20,900 | $25,029 | +19.75% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $26,100 | $32,995 | +26.42% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $31,400 | $45,205 | +43.97% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $36,600 | $47,144 | +28.81% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $41,800 | $66,532 | +59.17% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $47,000 | $83,496 | +77.65% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $52,200 | $111,790 | +114.16% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $57,400 | $94,940 | +65.40% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $62,700 | $123,865 | +97.55% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $67,900 | $158,391 | +133.27% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $73,100 | $190,118 | +160.08% |
| 11 Nov 2026 | $77,600 | $216,505 | +179.00% |
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 2012 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2012 (776 buys, $77,600 in total) would be worth $216,505 today (+179.00%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2012?
- Investing the same $77,600 in one go on 1 January 2012 would be worth $470,528 today (+506.35%), 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 2012?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 35 days (ending 17 Jun 2012).