Dollar Cost Average Simulation

Here's what it looks like 

Click here for the Dollar Cost Average Simulation

Most people I work with get discouraged because the market is already pretty high. I remember feeling that way in the summer of 2013... thinking I should wait it out a little bit more until things cooled off.

If you look at where the market closed on the first day of each month, you see I would have been a fool to not have started investing... If I started investing monthly, years ago, what would that have been now?

The point of this, is to: 
A) get you excited about what you might be able to make, based on recent history
B) show you that regardless of what year you pick, the market is almost always up.

Even if you started in 2007 right before the crash... I'm using the Dow Jones for simplicity. Normally I recommend a random Total Market Index Fund like VTI for this, because it mirrors the market. Also, last 2 tips. "Time in the market is better than timing the market" and most people stress over what stocks to buy and don't want to make the wrong pick. 90% of being good at investing is simply being in the market. The other 10%, yes, comes down to picking the right stuff.

But even the top trained professionals rarely can beat the market year or year. So I like to just buy the market as an index fund and just sit with that :) I like VIGAX, VOO, VTI, or VTTSX. Pick one and make sure you can turn on auto-invest with your account so you dont have to think about it! 

How To Copy/Download

To Copy, got to the Google Sheets, Log into Google, and select File > Make A Copy.
If you don't have a Google Account, go to the Google Sheets and select File > Download > Excel