Lump Sum vs DCA Simulator

Investment Plan

Choose the total amount, horizon, and how long the DCA schedule takes to fully invest.

Investment amount

Total cash available to invest.

Projection years

How long to project both strategies.

DCA months

Number of months used to invest the cash gradually.

Cash return annual (%)

Return earned by uninvested DCA cash while waiting to invest.

Set the Monte Carlo return model, expected return, volatility, and simulation count.

Annual return mean (%)

Enter 7 for a 7% expected annual return.

Annual return std (%)

Enter 15 for a 15% annual standard deviation.

Return model

Lognormal mode samples monthly growth factors; normal simple samples monthly simple returns.

Number of simulations

Higher counts produce smoother percentile lines.

Optional seed

Leave blank for fresh random draws. Enter a number to reproduce the same results later.

Optionally convert the chart and summary into today's dollars.

Inflation rate annual (%)

Enter 2.5 for a 2.5% annual inflation rate.

Inflation-adjust results

Convert output values to today's dollars using the inflation rate above.

Two charts update after the API run completes.

Each chart shows the percentile range for one strategy across the same simulated market paths.

Waiting for simulation

All available cash is invested immediately.

Cash is invested gradually over the selected DCA schedule.

Run the simulation to compare lump sum and DCA outcomes.

Positive median advantage means lump sum ended higher than DCA at the median.