Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in ZIP 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-63.8%
Final Value$14.5K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return-68.2%
Final Value$12.5K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return-71.4%
Final Value$11.4K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap7.6 pp
Your timing vs best-4.4%
Your timing vs worst+3.2%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of -20.7%/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+$0 est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of -20.7% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
60 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
May 26, 2021
$21.10
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Jun 28, 2021
$24.11
$10,500
$11,927
+13.59%
$1,427
Jul 26, 2021
$26.00
$11,000
$13,361
+21.47%
$2,361
Aug 26, 2021
$24.46
$11,500
$13,070
+13.65%
$1,570
Sep 27, 2021
$28.48
$12,000
$15,718
+30.98%
$3,718
Oct 26, 2021
$28.50
$12,500
$16,229
+29.83%
$3,729
Nov 26, 2021
$29.63
$13,000
$17,373
+33.64%
$4,373
Dec 27, 2021
$25.13
$13,500
$15,234
+12.85%
$1,734
Jan 26, 2022
$21.07
$14,000
$13,273
-5.19%
$-727
Feb 28, 2022
$19.98
$14,500
$13,086
-9.75%
$-1,414
Mar 28, 2022
$23.57
$15,000
$15,938
+6.25%
$938
Apr 26, 2022
$22.82
$15,500
$15,931
+2.78%
$431
May 26, 2022
$17.18
$16,000
$12,493
-21.92%
$-3,507
Jun 27, 2022
$16.29
$16,500
$12,346
-25.18%
$-4,154
Jul 26, 2022
$16.46
$17,000
$12,975
-23.68%
$-4,025
Aug 26, 2022
$16.44
$17,500
$13,459
-23.09%
$-4,041
Sep 26, 2022
$15.55
$18,000
$13,231
-26.50%
$-4,769
Oct 26, 2022
$17.63
$18,500
$15,500
-16.21%
$-3,000
Nov 28, 2022
$17.17
$19,000
$15,596
-17.92%
$-3,404
Dec 27, 2022
$15.84
$19,500
$14,888
-23.65%
$-4,612
Jan 26, 2023
$19.17
$20,000
$18,518
-7.41%
$-1,482
Feb 27, 2023
$17.13
$20,500
$17,047
-16.84%
$-3,453
Mar 27, 2023
$15.37
$21,000
$15,796
-24.78%
$-5,204
Apr 26, 2023
$16.67
$21,500
$17,632
-17.99%
$-3,868
May 26, 2023
$15.79
$22,000
$17,201
-21.81%
$-4,799
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in ZIP
Investing $500 per month in ZipRecruiter, Inc. (ZIP) over the past 5 years would be worth approximately $13K today. That's -68.2% total return on $40K invested, with a -20.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).