What is the basis of dollar cost averaging?

Dollar cost averaging is a strategy that involves investing a fixed dollar amount in a particular investment at regular intervals, regardless of the asset's price. This method aims to reduce the impact of volatility on the overall purchase. By investing a consistent dollar amount consistently, an investor buys more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when prices are high, ultimately averaging out the cost per share over time.

For this reason, the correct answer highlights the idea of purchasing a fixed dollar amount of securities at regular intervals, emphasizing the discipline and systematic nature of this investment strategy. This approach tends to minimize the emotional factors that can come into play when making investment decisions based on market movements.

Other options describe different investment strategies or methods that do not embody the core principle of dollar cost averaging. For instance, irregular intervals and investing all savings immediately do not provide the same protective benefits against market fluctuations or the advantage of spreading out risk. Calculating average costs based on annual trends also does not accurately reflect the mechanics of dollar cost averaging, which focuses on regular, consistent investment rather than trend analysis.