DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2019: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2019 (408 buys, $40,800 in total) would be worth $73,507 today (+80.16%).
Backtest 1 January 2019 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$73,507
+80.16% · +14.83%/yr
- Invested
- $40,800.00
- Buys
- 408
- Average cost
- $4,262.31
Lump sum, day one
Winner$124,982
+206.33%
- Invested
- $40,800.00
- Bought at
- $2,506.85
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$140,033
+243.22%
- Bought on
- 23 Mar 2020
- At a price of
- $2,237.40
- 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 2.5% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 51 days (to 28 Apr 2020). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 23.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 18 May 2020. The average cost per unit was $4,262.31 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+80.16%). The cheapest buy was $2,447.33 on 24 Mar 2020 and the priciest $7,818.93 on 6 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2019 | $5,300 | $5,900 | +11.32% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $10,500 | $12,978 | +23.60% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $15,700 | $22,301 | +42.05% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $20,900 | $22,859 | +9.37% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $26,100 | $34,205 | +31.05% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $31,400 | $47,949 | +52.70% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $36,600 | $61,567 | +68.22% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $40,800 | $73,507 | +80.16% |
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 2019 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2019 (408 buys, $40,800 in total) would be worth $73,507 today (+80.16%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2019?
- Investing the same $40,800 in one go on 1 January 2019 would be worth $124,982 today (+206.33%), 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 2019?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 2.5% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 51 days (ending 28 Apr 2020).
