Dollar Cost Averaging Calculator

Simulate periodic investing and compare against lump-sum investing

Monthly Investment

Investment Period (years)

Expected Annual Return (%)

Lump Sum (for comparison)

Same total invested upfront

Total Invested (DCA)

DCA Final Value

DCA Gain

Lump Sum Value

Lump Sum Gain

Difference

// What is DCA?

Dollar Cost Averaging means investing a fixed amount at regular intervals regardless of price. You buy more units when prices are low, fewer when high, reducing average cost.

// DCA vs Lump Sum

Statistically, lump sum beats DCA ~67% of the time because markets tend to go up. But DCA reduces the risk of investing everything at a market peak.

// Behavioural Advantage

DCA's biggest benefit is psychological. It removes the paralysis of "when to invest" and builds a consistent saving habit. Consistency beats timing.

// SA Debit Orders

Most SA unit trust and ETF platforms support monthly debit orders from R500/month. Set up a debit order and forget about it — that's DCA in action.