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Lump sum vs drip-feed

Invest a lump sum or drip it in?

How often investing at once has beaten spreading it over a year, in UK history for a mix.

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What you enter: mix.

Worked example

Invest a lump sum or drip it in — an example

Inputs
Mix
Balanced
Result
Years in which investing at once won
81%
Average advantage over the year
4.0%
Years of UK history
150

The cost of waiting, not a forecast: spreading it in trades a lower average for a smaller worst case.

How it is worked out. For each year since 1871, a lump sum earns the whole year's return; drip-feeding earns about half of it on average. The share of years with a positive return is how often the lump sum won.

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Not advice. Money Horizon is a planning indicator built on simplified rules. It does not know your full circumstances, cannot replace a regulated adviser, and its figures should not be relied on for any decision. It is not financial advice. Nothing you enter leaves your browser. Calculators use the 2026-27 rules; figures are estimates.