DCA calculator
DCA calculator with real stock prices
Dollar cost averaging means investing the same amount at regular intervals. Pick a stock, a monthly amount and a start year to see what it would have become at real prices.
How invested
From year
228 instalments, each at the month-end close from January 2007 to December 2025.
Value at the end of 2025
$379,368
from $22,800 paid in
Value today without further instalments (close on 13 Nov 2026): $497,158
Gain
+$356,568
+1,563.9%
Return per year
+25.3%
internal rate of return
Largest decline of the stock
−60.9%
from the high on 28 Dec 2007 to the low on 20 Jan 2009
New high on 21 Oct 2009, 22 months after the old high.
Measured on daily closing prices over the same period.
All declines of Apple in the drawdown calculatorPast performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
That was the share price. The score shows how Apple is doing today.
To the scorePortfolio value and amount paid in
- Portfolio value
- Paid in
- Largest decline, from high to low
Month-end closing prices, price return only, without dividends.
Show year by year
| Year | Price return in the year | Paid in so far | Value at year end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +133.3% | $1,200 | $1,937 |
| 2008 | −56.9% | $2,400 | $1,623 |
| 2009 | +146.9% | $3,600 | $5,834 |
| 2010 | +53.0% | $4,800 | $10,448 |
| 2011 | +25.5% | $6,000 | $14,438 |
| 2012 | +31.5% | $7,200 | $20,086 |
| 2013 | +5.4% | $8,400 | $22,610 |
| 2014 | +37.7% | $9,600 | $32,584 |
| 2015 | −4.6% | $10,800 | $32,131 |
| 2016 | +10.0% | $12,000 | $36,689 |
| 2017 | +46.1% | $13,200 | $54,954 |
| 2018 | −6.8% | $14,400 | $52,251 |
| 2019 | +86.1% | $15,600 | $98,956 |
| 2020 | +80.8% | $16,800 | $180,607 |
| 2021 | +33.8% | $18,000 | $243,218 |
| 2022 | −26.8% | $19,200 | $178,987 |
| 2023 | +48.2% | $20,400 | $266,552 |
| 2024 | +30.1% | $21,600 | $348,161 |
| 2025 | +8.6% | $22,800 | $379,368 |
What the calculation uses
- Month-end closing prices in US dollars, adjusted for stock splits
- Price return only: dividends are not included
- Shares are bought at the close of the last trading day of the month, including fractions of a share
- Full calendar years only, here 2007 to 2025
- Prices from Financial Modeling Prep, as of 13 Nov 2026
The return per year is the internal rate of return: the constant annual rate at which a savings account fed with the same monthly instalments would have reached the same final value. It accounts for later instalments being invested for a shorter time.
How it is calculated
- Once: shares = amount ÷ closing price at the end of the previous year
- Every month: shares += instalment ÷ month-end closing price
- Value = shares × closing price at the end of the last year
- Value today = the same shares × latest closing price
- Largest decline = lowest close ÷ highest close before it − 1
This is a calculator using past prices, not a forecast, not a price target and not a recommendation to buy or sell this stock. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Calculated with month-end closing prices in US dollars, without dividends, costs or taxes; if you invest in euros, you also have currency gains or losses.
How it is calculated
- Each month the amount buys shares at the month-end closing price, so you get more shares when the price is low and fewer when it is high.
- The value is shown at the end of the last full calendar year and at the latest close.
- The return per year is the internal rate of return over all instalments.
- Prices of stocks outside the US are converted to dollars at each day's exchange rate.
Assumptions and notes
- Past returns do not predict future returns. The largest decline shows how much patience the stock required.
- Taxes and trading fees are not included.
Example: $500 a month in Apple
Pick AAPL, choose Every month, enter $500 and a start year such as 2015.
Each month, $500 buys Apple shares at the month-end close.
You see what you paid in, the value today, the return per year and the largest decline along the way.
Frequently asked questions
What is dollar cost averaging?
Investing a fixed amount at regular intervals, for example every month, no matter where the price is. You buy more shares when prices are low and fewer when they are high, and you never have to time the market.
Is DCA better than investing a lump sum?
Not always. Because markets rise more often than they fall, a lump sum invested right away has often ended up ahead. DCA spreads the risk of buying just before a crash. Switch between Once and Every month to compare both for the same stock.
Which prices does the calculator use?
Real month-end closing prices of the stock. Stocks outside the US are converted to dollars at each day's exchange rate.