Question 1

How much would I have if I DCA'd $100/week into ESS for 5 years?

Accepted Answer

Dollar cost averaging $100 per week into ESS for 5 years (261 purchases) would have resulted in a total investment of $26,100 and a current value of $27,022, a return of 4%. Using Enhanced DCA, which concentrates buys during dips, the same $100/week base deployed $37,755 and grew to $41,350 — a 10% return.

Question 2

What is the best DCA strategy for ESS?

Accepted Answer

Backtesting shows Enhanced DCA — which increases buy amounts during market dips and reduces or skips buys when ESS is overextended — outperformed standard weekly DCA by 6% over 5 years. The enhanced strategy achieved a 10% return vs 4% for standard DCA.

Question 3

What would $100/week into ESS be worth after 3 years?

Accepted Answer

Investing $100 per week into ESS for 3 years (157 purchases, $15,700 total) would have grown to $16,052 — a 2% return. Enhanced DCA over the same period returned 7%.

Question 4

Is DCA into ESS worth it?

Accepted Answer

Based on a 5-year backtest, DCA into ESS returned 4% with standard weekly purchases. An intelligent DCA strategy that buys more during dips returned 10% over the same period — a 6% gain in return, while deploying more capital.

Question 5

How many shares of ESS would I have after DCA for 5 years?

Accepted Answer

Dollar cost averaging $100/week into ESS for 5 years would result in approximately 100 shares with a standard DCA approach (avg entry $262). Enhanced DCA targeting dips results in 152 shares at an average entry of $248.

Question 6

How does ESS DCA compare to the S&P 500?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced DCA into ESS returned 10% over the past 5 years. The S&P 500 (SPY) returned approximately 53% over the same period. ESS's performance reflects its volatility as a real estate asset. Enhanced DCA outperformed standard DCA by 6%, demonstrating the value of intelligent entry timing during market dips.

Question 7

What is the risk of dollar cost averaging into ESS?

Accepted Answer

Past backtest performance does not guarantee future results. ESS is a real estate asset whose price can fall as well as rise. While DCA reduces timing risk by spreading purchases over time, losses are still possible if the price declines significantly. Always invest within your risk tolerance and consider your overall portfolio diversification.

Question 8

What is the Essex Property Trust dollar cost averaging strategy?

Accepted Answer

Standard DCA invests a fixed amount ($100/week or $433/month) into ESS at regular intervals. Enhanced DCA improves on this by using RSI (Relative Strength Index) signals to increase buy amounts during market dips (oversold conditions) and reduce or skip purchases when the stock is overextended. Over the 5-year backtest, this timing approach has delivered 6% higher returns than standard DCA while deploying more total capital into ESS.

ESS DCA Backtest — Dollar Cost Averaging Results

ESS DCA Results: Key Findings

Alpha you missed while unsubscribed

Dollar cost averaging into ESS — backtest results

Buying the dips for Essex Property Trust

ESS DCA backtest results: standard vs enhanced
Period	Standard DCA	Enhanced DCA	Alpha
1-Year	2%	6%	+4%
3-Year	2%	7%	+4%
5-Year	4%	10%	+6%