Comparison
DCA vs lump sum — same total dollars
Invest the same total as weekly S&P 500 DCA, but as one lump on day one. Hover the chart for any week.
| Weekly DCA | Lump sum (same total) | |
|---|---|---|
| Window | 2015-01-02 → 2026-08-28 | 2015-01-02 → 2026-08-28 |
| Contributed | $304,500 | $304,500 |
| DCA / lump value | $795,146 | $1,376,164 |
| SteadyGrow | $1,029,838 | $1,029,838 |
Weekly DCA
2015-01-02 → 2026-08-28
$500/week · Weekly DCA · S&P 500
Contributed$304,500
Blind DCA value$795,146
Return+161.1%
SteadyGrow value$1,029,838
vs blind DCA+$234,692
Lump sum (same capital)$1,376,164
S&P 5002015-01-02 → 2026-08-28 · $500/week
+$234,692 vs blind (+29.5%)Ended +29.5%
Blind DCASteadyGrow
What if your contribution wasn't always the same?
Blind DCA deploys $500/week every period. SteadyGrow keeps the same long-term habit but sizes weeks from valuation and regime — more when markets are cheap, less when they're stretched.
Lump sum on the chart is the same total cash as weekly DCA, invested on day one.