Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in TY 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 TY Analysis
TY DCA Calculator
Dollar Cost Averaging — Tri-Continental Corporation
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+64.5%
Final Value$79.0K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return+60.4%
Final Value$77.0K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return+56.7%
Final Value$75.2K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap7.8 pp
Your timing vs best-4.1%
Your timing vs worst+3.7%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of 7.7%/yr — put in vs. walk away with.
Your Plan
At $500/mo, this could grow into:
3 Years$20K~1.1x your moneyfrom $18K invested
5 Years$36K~1.2x your moneyfrom $30K invested
10 Years$89K~1.5x your moneyfrom $60K invested
20 Years$276K~2.3x your moneyfrom $120K invested
Compare Other Monthly Amounts
Same CAGR assumption. Use this to pressure-test different monthly commitments.
Monthly
3 Years~1.1x your money
5 Years~1.2x your money
10 Years~1.5x your money
20 Years~2.3x your money
$100/mo
$4K+$422 est. gain
$7K+$1K est. gain
$18K+$6K est. gain
$55K+$31K est. gain
$250/mo
$10K+$1K est. gain
$18K+$3K est. gain
$44K+$14K est. gain
$138K+$78K est. gain
$500/mo
$20K+$2K est. gain
$36K+$6K est. gain
$89K+$29K est. gain
$276K+$156K est. gain
$1,000/mo
$40K+$4K est. gain
$72K+$12K est. gain
$178K+$58K est. gain
$552K+$312K est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of 7.7% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
77 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Jan 2, 2020
$28.24
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Feb 3, 2020
$28.31
$10,500
$10,525
+0.24%
$25
Mar 2, 2020
$26.45
$11,000
$10,333
-6.06%
$-667
Apr 2, 2020
$20.13
$11,500
$8,466
-26.38%
$-3,034
May 4, 2020
$22.77
$12,000
$10,076
-16.03%
$-1,924
Jun 2, 2020
$25.05
$12,500
$11,585
-7.32%
$-915
Jul 2, 2020
$24.97
$13,000
$12,273
-5.59%
$-727
Aug 3, 2020
$26.18
$13,500
$13,368
-0.98%
$-132
Sep 2, 2020
$27.31
$14,000
$14,445
+3.18%
$445
Oct 2, 2020
$26.08
$14,500
$14,433
-0.46%
$-67
Nov 2, 2020
$25.59
$15,000
$14,662
-2.25%
$-338
Dec 2, 2020
$29.35
$15,500
$17,316
+11.72%
$1,816
Jan 4, 2021
$29.09
$16,000
$18,026
+12.66%
$2,026
Feb 2, 2021
$30.51
$16,500
$19,406
+17.61%
$2,906
Mar 2, 2021
$31.16
$17,000
$20,319
+19.53%
$3,319
Apr 5, 2021
$32.93
$17,500
$22,139
+26.51%
$4,639
May 3, 2021
$33.91
$18,000
$23,298
+29.43%
$5,298
Jun 2, 2021
$34.56
$18,500
$24,244
+31.05%
$5,744
Jul 2, 2021
$34.26
$19,000
$24,910
+31.11%
$5,910
Aug 2, 2021
$34.12
$19,500
$25,309
+29.79%
$5,809
Sep 2, 2021
$35.09
$20,000
$26,528
+32.64%
$6,528
Oct 4, 2021
$33.37
$20,500
$25,948
+26.58%
$5,448
Nov 2, 2021
$35.10
$21,000
$27,794
+32.35%
$6,794
Dec 2, 2021
$34.88
$21,500
$28,120
+30.79%
$6,620
Jan 3, 2022
$33.21
$22,000
$30,298
+37.72%
$8,298
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in TY
Investing $500 per month in Tri-Continental Corporation (TY) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $77K today. That's +60.4% total return on $48K invested, with a +7.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). This includes $18K from reinvested dividends.