Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in APEI means investing a fixed amount at regular intervals, regardless of share price. This strategy reduces timing risk and builds wealth steadily through market ups and downs.
How This Calculator Works
Our DCA calculator simulates real market conditions using historical price data. It accounts for dividend reinvestment (DRIP), where each dividend payment automatically purchases additional shares. You can adjust the investment amount, frequency, time period, and compare against benchmarks like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100.
More APEI Analysis
APEI DCA Calculator
Dollar Cost Averaging — American Public Education, Inc.
Same amount invested each month — only the day of purchase changes. How much does intra-month timing actually matter?
Best Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly low
Total Return+271.0%
Final Value$178.1K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return+234.4%
Final Value$160.5K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return+201.6%
Final Value$144.8K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap69.4 pp
Your timing vs best-36.6%
Your timing vs worst+32.8%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of 21.0%/yr — put in vs. walk away with.
Your Plan
At $500/mo, this could grow into:
3 Years$24K~1.3x your moneyfrom $18K invested
5 Years$50K~1.7x your moneyfrom $30K invested
10 Years$179K~3.0x your moneyfrom $60K invested
20 Years$1.4M~11.5x your moneyfrom $120K invested
Compare Other Monthly Amounts
Same CAGR assumption. Use this to pressure-test different monthly commitments.
Monthly
3 Years~1.3x your money
5 Years~1.7x your money
10 Years~3.0x your money
20 Years~11.5x your money
$100/mo
$5K+$1K est. gain
$10K+$4K est. gain
$36K+$24K est. gain
$275K+$251K est. gain
$250/mo
$12K+$3K est. gain
$25K+$10K est. gain
$89K+$59K est. gain
$688K+$628K est. gain
$500/mo
$24K+$6K est. gain
$50K+$20K est. gain
$179K+$119K est. gain
$1.4M+$1.3M est. gain
$1,000/mo
$48K+$12K est. gain
$99K+$39K est. gain
$357K+$237K est. gain
$2.8M+$2.5M est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of 21.0% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
77 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Jan 2, 2020
$27.46
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Feb 3, 2020
$24.23
$10,500
$9,324
-11.20%
$-1,176
Mar 2, 2020
$22.70
$11,000
$9,235
-16.05%
$-1,765
Apr 2, 2020
$21.89
$11,500
$9,405
-18.21%
$-2,095
May 4, 2020
$24.06
$12,000
$10,838
-9.68%
$-1,162
Jun 2, 2020
$32.20
$12,500
$15,005
+20.04%
$2,505
Jul 2, 2020
$29.22
$13,000
$14,116
+8.58%
$1,116
Aug 3, 2020
$28.64
$13,500
$14,336
+6.19%
$836
Sep 2, 2020
$30.50
$14,000
$15,767
+12.62%
$1,767
Oct 2, 2020
$29.16
$14,500
$15,574
+7.41%
$1,074
Nov 2, 2020
$29.90
$15,000
$16,469
+9.80%
$1,469
Dec 2, 2020
$31.14
$15,500
$17,652
+13.89%
$2,152
Jan 4, 2021
$30.18
$16,000
$17,608
+10.05%
$1,608
Feb 2, 2021
$29.61
$16,500
$17,776
+7.73%
$1,276
Mar 2, 2021
$29.18
$17,000
$18,017
+5.98%
$1,017
Apr 5, 2021
$35.40
$17,500
$22,358
+27.76%
$4,858
May 3, 2021
$31.00
$18,000
$20,079
+11.55%
$2,079
Jun 2, 2021
$29.04
$18,500
$19,309
+4.38%
$809
Jul 2, 2021
$28.51
$19,000
$19,457
+2.41%
$457
Aug 2, 2021
$29.78
$19,500
$20,824
+6.79%
$1,324
Sep 2, 2021
$26.29
$20,000
$18,883
-5.58%
$-1,117
Oct 4, 2021
$26.02
$20,500
$19,189
-6.39%
$-1,311
Nov 2, 2021
$25.08
$21,000
$18,996
-9.54%
$-2,004
Dec 2, 2021
$20.93
$21,500
$16,353
-23.94%
$-5,147
Jan 3, 2022
$23.01
$22,000
$18,478
-16.01%
$-3,522
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in APEI
Investing $500 per month in American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $161K today. That's +234.4% total return on $48K invested, with a +21.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).