Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in CMLS 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-98.2%
Final Value$834
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return-99.3%
Final Value$307
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return-99.4%
Final Value$264
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap1.2 pp
Your timing vs best-1.1%
Your timing vs worst+0.1%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of -55.6%/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+$0 est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of -55.6% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
75 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Jan 2, 2020
$16.95
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Feb 3, 2020
$14.15
$10,500
$8,848
-15.73%
$-1,652
Mar 2, 2020
$11.98
$11,000
$7,991
-27.35%
$-3,009
Apr 2, 2020
$4.44
$11,500
$3,462
-69.90%
$-8,038
May 4, 2020
$3.96
$12,000
$3,587
-70.10%
$-8,413
Jun 2, 2020
$5.23
$12,500
$5,238
-58.10%
$-7,262
Jul 2, 2020
$4.08
$13,000
$4,586
-64.72%
$-8,414
Aug 3, 2020
$3.88
$13,500
$4,861
-63.99%
$-8,639
Sep 2, 2020
$5.23
$14,000
$7,053
-49.62%
$-6,947
Oct 2, 2020
$5.40
$14,500
$7,782
-46.33%
$-6,718
Nov 2, 2020
$5.02
$15,000
$7,734
-48.44%
$-7,266
Dec 2, 2020
$8.57
$15,500
$13,704
-11.59%
$-1,796
Jan 4, 2021
$8.77
$16,000
$14,524
-9.23%
$-1,476
Feb 2, 2021
$8.74
$16,500
$14,974
-9.25%
$-1,526
Mar 2, 2021
$9.94
$17,000
$17,530
+3.12%
$530
Apr 5, 2021
$9.36
$17,500
$17,007
-2.82%
$-493
May 3, 2021
$9.63
$18,000
$17,998
-0.01%
$-2
Jun 2, 2021
$11.10
$18,500
$21,245
+14.84%
$2,745
Jul 2, 2021
$14.06
$19,000
$27,411
+44.27%
$8,411
Aug 2, 2021
$11.89
$19,500
$23,680
+21.44%
$4,180
Sep 2, 2021
$11.86
$20,000
$24,120
+20.60%
$4,120
Oct 4, 2021
$13.00
$20,500
$26,939
+31.41%
$6,439
Nov 2, 2021
$12.45
$21,000
$26,299
+25.23%
$5,299
Dec 2, 2021
$12.22
$21,500
$26,313
+22.39%
$4,813
Jan 3, 2022
$10.94
$22,000
$24,057
+9.35%
$2,057
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in CMLS
Investing $500 per month in Cumulus Media Inc. (CMLS) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $307 today. That's -99.3% total return on $47K invested, with a -55.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).