What if I had invested $100 a month in McDonald's
Investing a fixed amount every month, whatever the price: that is dollar-cost averaging. Here is what this strategy would have done in McDonald's, depending on the year you started.
Since December 2003, McDonald's (a stock listed on Wall Street) grew 11-fold in dollar terms: an annualized return of +11.1% over nearly 23 years. For a monthly investor, 88% of the 275 monthly purchases made since December 2003 were below today's price.
Data: Yahoo Finance monthly closing prices, up to date as of (latest update November 5, 2026) MethodAuthor: Yann Avondo
If I had invested $100 every month in McDonald's since January 2016, today I would have $17,857
Over the same period
Worst moment: −32.3% between February 2026 and September 2026. To get this result, you had to hold on without selling.
McDonald's at a glance
McDonald's operates or franchises more than 40,000 restaurants worldwide. Its model relies heavily on real estate and franchise fees, making it a stable, dividend-rich stock.
Since its February 2026 peak, McDonald's has given up as much as 32.3% in dollar terms (low in September 2026) without getting back to that level. Against the MSCI World, this calculator's yardstick (+7.0% a year in dollar terms over the same period), McDonald's did better. The years follow one another without big jolts: 18 of 22 calendar years ended higher, with a best year in 2017 (+41.4%) and a worst in 2012 (−12.1%).
$100 a month in McDonald's, by start year
One contribution at the start of each month since January of the given year, valued at the latest price. Click a year for the full story.
| Start | Invested | Worth today | Multiple | Annual IRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,300 | $2,183 | ×0.95 | −5.1% | |
| $3,500 | $3,367 | ×0.96 | −2.6% | |
| $4,700 | $4,571 | ×0.97 | −1.4% | |
| $5,900 | $5,884 | ×1 | −0.1% | |
| $7,100 | $7,339 | ×1.03 | +1.1% | |
| $8,300 | $9,030 | ×1.09 | +2.4% | |
| $9,500 | $10,729 | ×1.13 | +3.0% | |
| $10,700 | $12,746 | ×1.19 | +3.9% | |
| $11,900 | $15,059 | ×1.27 | +4.6% | |
| $13,100 | $17,857 | ×1.36 | +5.5% | |
| $14,300 | $21,240 | ×1.49 | +6.4% | |
| $15,500 | $24,693 | ×1.59 | +6.9% | |
| $16,700 | $28,155 | ×1.69 | +7.2% | |
| $17,900 | $31,755 | ×1.77 | +7.3% | |
| $19,100 | $35,794 | ×1.87 | +7.4% | |
| $20,300 | $40,639 | ×2 | +7.7% | |
| $21,500 | $46,491 | ×2.16 | +8.0% | |
| $22,700 | $52,248 | ×2.3 | +8.1% | |
| $23,900 | $59,034 | ×2.47 | +8.3% | |
| $25,100 | $68,335 | ×2.72 | +8.7% | |
| $26,300 | $78,935 | ×3 | +9.1% | |
| $27,500 | $91,139 | ×3.31 | +9.4% |
Lump sum or DCA in McDonald's?
Since January 2016, investing in McDonald's all at once (lump sum) multiplied the stake by ×2.36, +8.2% a year. Investing every month (DCA) multiplied the total contributions by ×1.36, an annual return (IRR) of +5.5%.
Here the lump sum did better: money invested early rode the whole rise. That is the most common outcome on an asset that goes up.
Frequently asked questions
How much would I have if I had invested $100 a month in McDonald's for 10 years?
Investing $100 every month since January 2016, $13,100 in total, would be worth about $17,857 today: an annual return (IRR) of +5.5% (price only, in the displayed currency).
What if I had started investing $100 a month in McDonald's in 2015?
Since January 2015, $14,300 invested in total would be worth about $21,240 today (IRR of +6.4% a year).
What if I had started investing $100 a month in McDonald's in 2020?
Since January 2020, $8,300 invested in total would be worth about $9,030 today (IRR of +2.4% a year).
Is investing monthly better than investing all at once?
Historically, investing a lump sum right away returns more in most cases, because markets rise more often than they fall. But monthly investing smooths the purchase price, protects against the worst timing and matches how people actually save: from their paycheck, month after month.
How is the annual return calculated?
With spread-out contributions, the multiple of the amount invested does not tell the whole story: the last dollars had only a few months to grow. The IRR (internal rate of return) is the average annual return that, applied to each contribution from its date, produces the final value.
Compare with
Before you have regrets
What this calculation does not tell you.
Hindsight bias
Picking Nvidia or Bitcoin today means picking known winners. Back then, nothing set them apart from hundreds of assets that went nowhere or vanished.
Holding on was the real test
The result assumes you never sold, including through the drawdowns shown above. Very few investors actually do.
The broad market, no bet required
The MSCI World never makes headlines, but it does not require guessing the winner. It is the fairest yardstick for any pick.
Method: past performance, computed from split-adjusted monthly closing prices (intra-month lows are smoothed out). Converted at each month’s exchange rate; no fees, no taxes. The MSCI World benchmark is the price index, excluding dividends. Sources: Yahoo Finance (prices, exchange rates, US Treasury bills), Eurostat (inflation), published regulated rates (Livret A). Not investment advice. NokxiHub.