Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in OM 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-80.3%
Final Value$8.7K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return-83.9%
Final Value$7.0K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return-86.4%
Final Value$6.0K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap6.0 pp
Your timing vs best-3.6%
Your timing vs worst+2.4%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of -27.7%/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+$0 est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of -27.7% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
68 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Sep 15, 2020
$910.20
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Oct 15, 2020
$750.30
$10,500
$8,743
-16.73%
$-1,757
Nov 16, 2020
$906.75
$11,000
$11,066
+0.60%
$66
Dec 15, 2020
$779.85
$11,500
$10,018
-12.89%
$-1,482
Jan 15, 2021
$735.45
$12,000
$9,947
-17.11%
$-2,053
Feb 16, 2021
$823.95
$12,500
$11,644
-6.85%
$-856
Mar 15, 2021
$750.15
$13,000
$11,101
-14.61%
$-1,899
Apr 15, 2021
$806.55
$13,500
$12,436
-7.88%
$-1,064
May 17, 2021
$649.95
$14,000
$10,521
-24.85%
$-3,479
Jun 15, 2021
$724.05
$14,500
$12,221
-15.72%
$-2,279
Jul 15, 2021
$652.80
$15,000
$11,518
-23.21%
$-3,482
Aug 16, 2021
$597.00
$15,500
$11,034
-28.81%
$-4,466
Sep 15, 2021
$774.75
$16,000
$14,819
-7.38%
$-1,181
Oct 15, 2021
$729.75
$16,500
$14,458
-12.37%
$-2,042
Nov 15, 2021
$784.95
$17,000
$16,052
-5.58%
$-948
Dec 15, 2021
$670.20
$17,500
$14,205
-18.83%
$-3,295
Jan 18, 2022
$527.10
$18,000
$11,672
-35.15%
$-6,328
Feb 15, 2022
$533.40
$18,500
$12,312
-33.45%
$-6,188
Mar 15, 2022
$597.60
$19,000
$14,294
-24.77%
$-4,706
Apr 18, 2022
$653.55
$19,500
$16,132
-17.27%
$-3,368
May 16, 2022
$386.70
$20,000
$10,045
-49.77%
$-9,955
Jun 15, 2022
$218.70
$20,500
$6,181
-69.85%
$-14,319
Jul 15, 2022
$249.75
$21,000
$7,559
-64.01%
$-13,441
Aug 15, 2022
$325.50
$21,500
$10,351
-51.86%
$-11,149
Sep 15, 2022
$277.50
$22,000
$9,325
-57.62%
$-12,675
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in OM
Investing $500 per month in Outset Medical, Inc. (OM) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $7K today. That's -83.9% total return on $44K invested, with a -27.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).