DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2021: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2021 (303 buys, $30,300 in total) would be worth $47,019 today (+55.18%).
Backtest 1 January 2021 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$47,019
+55.18% · +15.18%/yr
- Invested
- $30,300.00
- Buys
- 303
- Average cost
- $4,948.65
Lump sum, day one
Winner$61,948
+104.45%
- Invested
- $30,300.00
- Bought at
- $3,756.07
- Max drawdown
- 25.43%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$65,048
+114.68%
- Bought on
- 12 Oct 2022
- At a price of
- $3,577.03
- 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 19.1% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 167 days (to 1 Feb 2023). The worst moment was 12 Oct 2022, when it was down 14.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 31 Oct 2023. The average cost per unit was $4,948.65 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+55.18%). The cheapest buy was $3,583.07 on 14 Oct 2022 and the priciest $7,811.54 on 9 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2021 | $5,300 | $5,939 | +12.07% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $10,500 | $9,689 | -7.72% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $15,700 | $17,833 | +13.58% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $20,900 | $27,644 | +32.27% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $26,100 | $37,945 | +45.38% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $30,300 | $47,019 | +55.18% |
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 2021 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2021 (303 buys, $30,300 in total) would be worth $47,019 today (+55.18%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2021?
- Investing the same $30,300 in one go on 1 January 2021 would be worth $61,948 today (+104.45%), 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 2021?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 19.1% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 167 days (ending 1 Feb 2023).