InsiderFlowGlossary › What is dollar cost averaging (DCA)?

What is dollar cost averaging (DCA)?

DCA means investing in installments: a fixed amount every month, whatever the market does.

Investing $200 a month instead of $24,000 at once removes the timing problem: you buy more shares when prices fall and fewer when they rise, averaging your entry price. Above all, it turns investing into an automatic habit.

DCA isn't mathematically superior to lump-sum investing (which statistically wins, because markets rise more often than they fall), but it's psychologically far more sustainable: no regret about "getting in at the wrong time".

Concrete example

A $200 monthly plan into a global ETF, at 7% average annual return, accumulates about $34,000 in 10 years and over $100,000 in 20, against $48,000 contributed.

How you see it in InsiderFlow

On InsiderFlow these concepts come alive on real data: what big funds and insiders are buying, explained every day.

Frequently asked questions

Is DCA better than lump sum?

If you already have the capital, investing it at once statistically wins; if you save month by month, DCA is the natural choice.

Does DCA protect against losses?

It softens them during declines, but doesn't remove risk: you still need a long horizon.

Related terms

What is compound interest?What is an ETF?What is volatility?