Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in GAM 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 GAM Analysis
GAM DCA Calculator
Dollar Cost Averaging — General American Investors Company, 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+114.8%
Final Value$103.1K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return+109.0%
Final Value$100.3K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return+103.6%
Final Value$97.7K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap11.1 pp
Your timing vs best-5.8%
Your timing vs worst+5.3%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of 12.3%/yr — put in vs. walk away with.
Your Plan
At $500/mo, this could grow into:
3 Years$21K~1.2x your moneyfrom $18K invested
5 Years$40K~1.3x your moneyfrom $30K invested
10 Years$113K~1.9x your moneyfrom $60K invested
20 Years$474K~3.9x your moneyfrom $120K invested
Compare Other Monthly Amounts
Same CAGR assumption. Use this to pressure-test different monthly commitments.
Monthly
3 Years~1.2x your money
5 Years~1.3x your money
10 Years~1.9x your money
20 Years~3.9x your money
$100/mo
$4K+$687 est. gain
$8K+$2K est. gain
$23K+$11K est. gain
$95K+$71K est. gain
$250/mo
$11K+$2K est. gain
$20K+$5K est. gain
$56K+$26K est. gain
$237K+$177K est. gain
$500/mo
$21K+$3K est. gain
$40K+$10K est. gain
$113K+$53K est. gain
$474K+$354K est. gain
$1,000/mo
$43K+$7K est. gain
$81K+$21K est. gain
$226K+$106K est. gain
$948K+$708K est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of 12.3% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
77 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Jan 2, 2020
$37.80
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Feb 3, 2020
$37.35
$10,500
$10,381
-1.13%
$-119
Mar 2, 2020
$34.97
$11,000
$10,219
-7.10%
$-781
Apr 2, 2020
$26.55
$11,500
$8,259
-28.18%
$-3,241
May 4, 2020
$29.19
$12,000
$9,580
-20.17%
$-2,420
Jun 2, 2020
$31.87
$12,500
$10,960
-12.32%
$-1,540
Jul 2, 2020
$32.06
$13,000
$11,525
-11.35%
$-1,475
Aug 3, 2020
$33.52
$13,500
$12,550
-7.04%
$-950
Sep 2, 2020
$36.05
$14,000
$13,997
-0.02%
$-3
Oct 2, 2020
$34.24
$14,500
$13,794
-4.87%
$-706
Nov 2, 2020
$33.14
$15,000
$13,851
-7.66%
$-1,149
Dec 2, 2020
$36.30
$15,500
$15,774
+1.77%
$274
Jan 4, 2021
$36.81
$16,000
$16,495
+3.10%
$495
Feb 2, 2021
$37.91
$16,500
$17,488
+5.99%
$988
Mar 2, 2021
$38.44
$17,000
$18,349
+7.93%
$1,349
Apr 5, 2021
$40.57
$17,500
$19,866
+13.52%
$2,366
May 3, 2021
$42.65
$18,000
$21,384
+18.80%
$3,384
Jun 2, 2021
$42.98
$18,500
$22,050
+19.19%
$3,550
Jul 2, 2021
$43.39
$19,000
$22,760
+19.79%
$3,760
Aug 2, 2021
$43.35
$19,500
$23,239
+19.17%
$3,739
Sep 2, 2021
$45.21
$20,000
$24,736
+23.68%
$4,736
Oct 4, 2021
$42.73
$20,500
$23,879
+16.48%
$3,379
Nov 2, 2021
$45.78
$21,000
$26,084
+24.21%
$5,084
Dec 2, 2021
$42.41
$21,500
$26,346
+22.54%
$4,846
Jan 3, 2022
$44.37
$22,000
$28,064
+27.56%
$6,064
Page 1 of 4
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in GAM
Investing $500 per month in General American Investors Company, Inc. (GAM) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $100K today. That's +109.0% total return on $48K invested, with a +12.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). This includes $20K from reinvested dividends.