The Boring Alternative · Trying to beat the market
What if those contributions had just bought the S&P 500?
Editorial rewrite of a public WSB account that described putting roughly $75k into speculative names and leveraged ETFs — and ending near $15k — versus S&P 500 DCA of the same capital from late 2023.
Based on a real public Reddit case (r/wallstreetbets). We rewrote the facts — we did not copy the post. Source
What happened
$75k in → about $15k left after the round trips
A public post described a multi-year path that peaked near $120k–$150k, started from much less, and ended around $15k after leveraged ETF and single-name swings — with roughly $75k of capital contributed along the way. Peaks are not the same as ending wealth. We simulate the contributions, not the peak.
The boring alternative
Same capital → S&P 500 DCA from 2023-09-01
We take $75,000 and spread it as equal weekly buys through 2026-08-28, then hold. That matches “invested periodically,” not a 15-minute options trade. Assumptions that are ours (round numbers, start dates) are called out above.
S&P 500$75,000 deployed · 2023-09-01 → 2026-08-28$-5,153 vs blind (-5.1%)Ended -5.1%Blind DCASteadyGrowThe difference
Trading path vs boring path
Trading outcome (stated)-$60,000Left from that path$15,000Boring alternative (index value)$101,250Wealth vs $0 left$86,250Vs the stated trading P&L of -$60,000, the boring ending value is a $161,250 swing in wealth outcomes — not a prediction of your next trade.
Blind DCA contributed ~$75,000. SteadyGrow sizing on the same budget ends near $96,097.
Lesson
What this is (and isn't)
Beating the market is a story people tell at the top of the round trip. The boring alternative only tracks what you put in and what an index would have done with the same cash.
More counterfactuals
Nearby stories
Run your own scenario
Pick an amount and start year on our calculators — or follow weekly signals when you want the habit without the same-size blind buy every week.