This started out as an experiment comparing "lump sum" buying strategies vs dollar cost averaging. The results were so interesting that I made a calculator to do this one task.
Enter your dates, amount, and frequency to see DCA returns, then click the lump sum tiles for a comparison. Hope you enjoy playing with it - any suggestions for improvement, please shout.
DCA is for pussies
Over a longer time period, lump sum almost always outperforms DCA. This is one of the reasons I included the lump sum options in what's ostensibly a DCA calculator!