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About this tool
Estimate investment growth using Dollar Cost Averaging. Compare weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly recurring investments with return scenarios.
The DCA Calculator projects what a dollar-cost-averaging plan could grow to by compounding a lump sum plus a fixed recurring contribution period by period, using a per-period rate of (1 + annual return / compounding frequency)^(compounding frequency / contributions per year) − 1. You set the contribution rhythm — weekly (52), bi-weekly (26), monthly (12), quarterly (4) or yearly (1) — the expected annual return, the horizon and an inflation rate, and it returns the projected value, total invested, profit, ROI and an inflation-adjusted figure, plus best and worst cases at ±2% on the return. It is a projection model for planning, not a forecast of what any real investment will do.
Open DCA Calculator on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Under "Investment Details" enter "Initial Investment" and "Recurring Investment", then pick "Investment Frequency" — Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly or Yearly — and a Currency (INR ₹, USD $, EUR € or GBP £).
Set "Expected Annual Return", "Duration (Years)", "Inflation Rate" and the "Compounding" basis; the per-period rate is derived from the compounding frequency and the contribution frequency together.
Read "Estimated portfolio" with the Total Invested, Estimated Profit, CAGR and Inflation Adjusted cards and the Scenario Comparison at ±2%, then press "Export CSV" to download dca-calculator-schedule.csv.
The per-period rate is derived from your compounding frequency, so weekly and monthly plans of the same annual total produce genuinely different curves rather than the same number relabelled.
The projected value is also divided by (1 + inflation)^years, so you see purchasing power at the end of the horizon next to the headline figure.
Every projection is rerun at +2% and −2% on your expected return, which shows the spread a single assumption is hiding.
Dollar-cost averaging is investing a fixed amount on a fixed schedule regardless of price, so you buy more units when prices are low and fewer when they are high. It removes the timing decision from each contribution; this calculator models the resulting balance assuming a steady compound return rather than actual price swings.
It uses (1 + annual return / compounding frequency) raised to the power of (compounding frequency / contributions per year), minus 1. So a 12% return compounded monthly with weekly contributions gives a weekly rate of about 0.23%, not simply 12% divided by 52.
More frequent contributions put money to work sooner, so weekly investing of the same annual total ends slightly ahead of monthly in this model — but the gap is usually small compared with the effect of the contribution amount and the return assumption. Weigh it against transaction costs and whether the schedule matches when you actually get paid.
Because it divides the ending balance by (1 + inflation rate) raised to the number of years. At 6% inflation over 10 years that divisor is about 1.79, so a projected balance is worth roughly 56% of its face value in today's money. These figures are illustrative projections, not investment advice — talk to a licensed financial adviser before acting on them.
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