Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in QS 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-0.8%
Final Value$44.1K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return-11.1%
Final Value$39.1K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return-20.8%
Final Value$35.2K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap20.0 pp
Your timing vs best-10.3%
Your timing vs worst+9.7%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of -2.0%/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+$0 est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of -2.0% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
69 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Aug 17, 2020
$9.90
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Sep 17, 2020
$17.88
$10,500
$18,561
+76.77%
$8,061
Oct 19, 2020
$14.54
$11,000
$15,593
+41.76%
$4,593
Nov 17, 2020
$17.20
$11,500
$18,946
+64.75%
$7,446
Dec 17, 2020
$67.55
$12,000
$74,908
+524.23%
$62,908
Jan 19, 2021
$52.36
$12,500
$58,563
+368.51%
$46,063
Feb 17, 2021
$66.52
$13,000
$74,901
+476.16%
$61,901
Mar 17, 2021
$59.88
$13,500
$67,924
+403.14%
$54,424
Apr 19, 2021
$31.62
$14,000
$36,368
+159.77%
$22,368
May 17, 2021
$27.68
$14,500
$32,336
+123.01%
$17,836
Jun 17, 2021
$27.40
$15,000
$32,509
+116.73%
$17,509
Jul 19, 2021
$23.03
$15,500
$27,824
+79.51%
$12,324
Aug 17, 2021
$20.23
$16,000
$24,941
+55.88%
$8,941
Sep 17, 2021
$21.80
$16,500
$27,377
+65.92%
$10,877
Oct 18, 2021
$24.68
$17,000
$31,494
+85.26%
$14,494
Nov 17, 2021
$35.78
$17,500
$46,158
+163.76%
$28,658
Dec 17, 2021
$23.78
$18,000
$31,178
+73.21%
$13,178
Jan 18, 2022
$19.50
$18,500
$26,066
+40.90%
$7,566
Feb 17, 2022
$16.16
$19,000
$22,102
+16.32%
$3,102
Mar 17, 2022
$16.52
$19,500
$23,094
+18.43%
$3,594
Apr 18, 2022
$17.17
$20,000
$24,503
+22.51%
$4,503
May 17, 2022
$12.12
$20,500
$17,796
-13.19%
$-2,704
Jun 17, 2022
$8.87
$21,000
$13,524
-35.60%
$-7,476
Jul 18, 2022
$10.24
$21,500
$16,113
-25.06%
$-5,387
Aug 17, 2022
$11.98
$22,000
$19,351
-12.04%
$-2,649
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in QS
Investing $500 per month in QuantumScape Corporation (QS) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $39K today. That's -11.1% total return on $44K invested, with a -2.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).