re: With Jan 1 approaching...where are you putting your IRA money?

Lump sum invested immediately beats DCA. The confusion stems from the fact DCA is better than waiting to accumulate then invest a large sum which isnt exactly what is referred to as "lump sum" investing.

DCA advocates are usually referring to setting up recurring contributions instead of waiting to max an investment vehicle all at once or save until you have a large enough sum to make a sizeable investment. Much of the investing public has confused that and thinks DCA beats making a lump sum investment even if you already have the capital available.

On other hand, DCA may be psychologically advantageous especially for new investors or those with a large portion of their overall portfolio available to invest at once. They may be more likely to second guess a lump sum investment and start tinkering leading to sub optimal outcomes.