Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in APT 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.
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+0.0%
Final Value$48.0K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return-5.4%
Final Value$45.4K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return-9.9%
Final Value$43.2K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap10.0 pp
Your timing vs best-5.5%
Your timing vs worst+4.5%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of -0.9%/yr — put in vs. walk away with.
Your Plan
At $500/mo, this could grow into:
3 Years$18K~1.0x your moneyfrom $18K invested
5 Years$30K~1.0x your moneyfrom $30K invested
10 Years$60K~1.0x your moneyfrom $60K invested
20 Years$120K~1.0x your moneyfrom $120K invested
Compare Other Monthly Amounts
Same CAGR assumption. Use this to pressure-test different monthly commitments.
Monthly
3 Years~1.0x your money
5 Years~1.0x your money
10 Years~1.0x your money
20 Years~1.0x your money
$100/mo
$4K+$0 est. gain
$6K+$0 est. gain
$12K+$0 est. gain
$24K+$0 est. gain
$250/mo
$9K+$0 est. gain
$15K+$0 est. gain
$30K+$0 est. gain
$60K+$0 est. gain
$500/mo
$18K+$0 est. gain
$30K+$0 est. gain
$60K+$0 est. gain
$120K+$0 est. gain
$1,000/mo
$36K+$0 est. gain
$60K+$0 est. gain
$120K+$0 est. gain
$240K+$0 est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of -0.9% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
77 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Jan 2, 2020
$3.46
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Feb 3, 2020
$5.91
$10,500
$17,581
+67.44%
$7,081
Mar 2, 2020
$16.00
$11,000
$48,096
+337.24%
$37,096
Apr 2, 2020
$14.63
$11,500
$44,478
+286.77%
$32,978
May 4, 2020
$13.59
$12,000
$41,816
+248.47%
$29,816
Jun 2, 2020
$12.25
$12,500
$38,193
+205.55%
$25,693
Jul 2, 2020
$17.19
$13,000
$54,095
+316.12%
$41,095
Aug 3, 2020
$24.86
$13,500
$78,732
+483.20%
$65,232
Sep 2, 2020
$13.43
$14,000
$43,033
+207.38%
$29,033
Oct 2, 2020
$16.03
$14,500
$51,864
+257.68%
$37,364
Nov 2, 2020
$15.26
$15,000
$49,873
+232.48%
$34,873
Dec 2, 2020
$12.37
$15,500
$40,928
+164.05%
$25,428
Jan 4, 2021
$11.70
$16,000
$39,211
+145.07%
$23,211
Feb 2, 2021
$14.51
$16,500
$49,128
+197.75%
$32,628
Mar 2, 2021
$14.33
$17,000
$49,019
+188.35%
$32,019
Apr 5, 2021
$9.66
$17,500
$33,544
+91.68%
$16,044
May 3, 2021
$8.87
$18,000
$31,301
+73.89%
$13,301
Jun 2, 2021
$7.98
$18,500
$28,660
+54.92%
$10,160
Jul 2, 2021
$8.20
$19,000
$29,950
+57.63%
$10,950
Aug 2, 2021
$10.86
$19,500
$40,166
+105.98%
$20,666
Sep 2, 2021
$8.07
$20,000
$30,347
+51.73%
$10,347
Oct 4, 2021
$6.41
$20,500
$24,605
+20.02%
$4,105
Nov 2, 2021
$6.20
$21,000
$24,298
+15.71%
$3,298
Dec 2, 2021
$5.91
$21,500
$23,662
+10.06%
$2,162
Jan 3, 2022
$6.06
$22,000
$24,763
+12.56%
$2,763
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in APT
Investing $500 per month in Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd. (APT) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $45K today. That's -5.4% total return on $48K invested, with a -0.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).