Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in LDI 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-39.7%
Final Value$25.0K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return-48.7%
Final Value$21.0K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return-54.6%
Final Value$18.9K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap14.8 pp
Your timing vs best-9.0%
Your timing vs worst+5.8%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of -12.0%/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+$0 est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of -12.0% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
63 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Feb 11, 2021
$22.00
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Mar 11, 2021
$19.95
$10,500
$9,568
-8.87%
$-932
Apr 12, 2021
$20.92
$11,000
$10,533
-4.24%
$-467
May 11, 2021
$13.10
$11,500
$7,299
-36.53%
$-4,201
Jun 11, 2021
$13.99
$12,000
$8,295
-30.87%
$-3,705
Jul 12, 2021
$12.45
$12,500
$7,928
-36.57%
$-4,572
Aug 11, 2021
$10.21
$13,000
$7,002
-46.14%
$-5,998
Sep 13, 2021
$7.25
$13,500
$5,472
-59.47%
$-8,028
Oct 11, 2021
$6.03
$14,000
$5,107
-63.52%
$-8,893
Nov 11, 2021
$7.10
$14,500
$6,513
-55.08%
$-7,987
Dec 13, 2021
$4.59
$15,000
$4,710
-68.60%
$-10,290
Jan 11, 2022
$4.82
$15,500
$5,529
-64.33%
$-9,971
Feb 11, 2022
$4.14
$16,000
$5,249
-67.19%
$-10,751
Mar 11, 2022
$3.67
$16,500
$5,153
-68.77%
$-11,347
Apr 11, 2022
$3.40
$17,000
$5,368
-68.42%
$-11,632
May 11, 2022
$2.16
$17,500
$3,910
-77.65%
$-13,590
Jun 13, 2022
$2.12
$18,000
$4,338
-75.90%
$-13,662
Jul 11, 2022
$1.46
$18,500
$3,488
-81.15%
$-15,012
Aug 11, 2022
$2.08
$19,000
$5,469
-71.22%
$-13,531
Sep 12, 2022
$1.71
$19,500
$4,996
-74.38%
$-14,504
Oct 11, 2022
$1.36
$20,000
$4,473
-77.63%
$-15,527
Nov 11, 2022
$1.63
$20,500
$5,861
-71.41%
$-14,639
Dec 12, 2022
$1.75
$21,000
$6,793
-67.65%
$-14,207
Jan 11, 2023
$2.32
$21,500
$9,505
-55.79%
$-11,995
Feb 13, 2023
$2.42
$22,000
$10,415
-52.66%
$-11,585
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in LDI
Investing $500 per month in loanDepot, Inc. (LDI) over the past 5 years would be worth approximately $21K today. That's -48.7% total return on $41K invested, with a -12.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). This includes $610 from reinvested dividends.