If you want your portfolio's value to grow with the U.S. economy and don't want to choose individual stocks, an S&P 500 index fund could be a smart choice. In fact, legendary investor Warren Buffett has said that investing in low-cost S&P 500 index funds is a bet on the future of U.S. economic growth and the best way for most people to build wealth.
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What are S&P 500 index funds and why are they popular?
An index fund is designed to mirror the performance of a stock index. An S&P 500 index fund invests in each of the 500 companies in the (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC). It doesn't try to outperform the index; instead, it uses the index as its benchmark and aims to replicate its performance as closely as possible.
S&P 500 funds are by far the most popular type of index fund. But index funds can be based on practically any financial market, investing strategy, or stock market sector.
Index funds are popular with investors for a number of reasons. They offer easy portfolio diversification, with some funds enabling portfolio exposure to hundreds or even thousands of stocks and bonds. You don't risk losing all your money if one company performs poorly or collapses as you would with individual investments. However, you also don't get exposure to the potentially astronomical returns that can result from picking a single huge winner.
Index funds are passively managed, which means you're not paying for someone to actively pick and choose investments. This results in a lower expense ratio from lower investment management fees compared to actively managed funds.
- Your money will track the market's performance. Historically, the S&P 500's annual returns have been in the 9% to 10% range. Some years, the index will lose value, of course. During the Great Recession, the S&P 500 lost about half of its value. As of May 10, 2022, the S&P 500 was down more than 20% for the year to date. But over the long term, it's always recovered. Never in the S&P 500's history has a 20-year investment resulted in a loss.
- You keep more of your investment profits in your pocket. Buffett's case for low-cost S&P 500 index funds centers on their low fees. While active managers are likely to match the market's performance over time, their fees eat away at your returns. Buffett famously won a $1 million bet against investment manager Ted Seides that a low-cost S&P 500 index fund could beat a hand-selected hedge fund portfolio over 10 years.
- You're investing in 500 of the most profitable companies in the U.S. The corporations represented in the S&P 500 are subject to stringent listing criteria. To join the index, a company must have an $11.8 billion market capitalization, and the sum of its past four quarters' earnings must be positive. Each company must also get approval from an index committee. The S&P 500's largest holdings include Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).
- You can put your investment decisions on autopilot. The S&P 500 has a flawless track record of delivering profits over long holding periods, so you can invest without worrying about stock market fluctuations or having to research individual companies. You can simply budget a certain amount and automatically invest it on a regular schedule. This practice is known as dollar-cost averaging. Even if you do pick individual stocks, S&P 500 funds are a good foundation for your investment portfolio since you're guaranteed the returns of the stock market.
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3 best S&P 500 index funds in 2023
These three major S&P 500 funds are extremely similar in composition since each tracks the performance of the same index:
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT:VOO)
- iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT:IVV)
- SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT:SPY)
All three exchange-traded funds (ETFs) -- a type of index fund -- invest in the 500 companies that make up the S&P 500 index. Each has very closely replicated the index's performance:
| Fund Name | Expense Ratio | Total Fund Assets |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | 0.03% | $744.8 billion |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | 0.03% | $289.4 billion |
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 0.09% | $356.68 billion |
There are negligible differences between the performances of the S&P 500 index and each of these three funds that track it. The S&P 500 outperformed each fund slightly, as would be expected when accounting for each fund's expense ratio.
At the S&P 500's rate of return, a $10,000 investment made in early 2017 would have grown to $23,340 by the end of 2021. As the table below shows, even the worst-performing index fund of the three would have increased that $10,000 investment to $23,230 over the same five-year period.
| Index or Fund | 1-Year Total Return | 3-Year Annualized Return | 5-Year Annualized Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 Index | 31.46% | 26.29% | 18.63% |
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | 31.35% | 26.24% | 18.54% |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | 31.33% | 26.24% | 18.54% |
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 31.28% | 18.04% | 18.49% |
With any of these three funds, you can expect your investment to deliver performance that's virtually identical to the S&P 500. The Vanguard and iShares options have the lowest expense ratios. However, if you're a fan of SPDR products, a 0.0945% expense ratio isn't high by any means. A 0.0945% expense ratio means that $9.45 of every $10,000 invested is annually collected as a management fee.
One thing to be aware of is that, like the S&P 500 index, all three funds listed above are weighted by market capitalization. That means that your investment is heavily concentrated in the biggest companies. In each of the three top S&P 500 index funds, the top 10 companies represent about 30% of its holdings.
If you want to invest in the quality large-cap companies in the S&P 500 while spreading out your risk a bit more, you could opt for the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (NYSEMKT:RSP). Because it's an equal-weighted fund, it aims to invest the same dollar amount in each of the S&P 500 stocks. As a result, you'd expect the top 10 holdings to account for just 2.5% at any given time.
Beware of leveraged S&P 500 index funds
Be wary of leveraged funds that are advertised as S&P 500 ETFs. Leveraged ETFs use borrowed money and/or derivative securities to amplify investment returns or to bet against the index. For example, a 2x-leveraged S&P 500 ETF aims to return twice the index's performance each day. So if the index rises by 2%, the ETF's value rises by 4%. If the index falls by 3%, the ETF loses 6%.
These leveraged products are intended to be day-trading instruments and have an inherent downside bias over the long term. In other words, a 2x-leveraged S&P 500 ETF, over the long term, will not return twice the index's performance.
Investing in S&P 500 index funds is one of the safest ways to build wealth over time. But leveraged ETFs, even those that track the S&P 500, are highly risky and don't belong in a long-term portfolio.
Related index fund topics
John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Robin Hartill, CFP® has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com, Apple, Microsoft, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson and recommends the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
FAQs
Which index to invest in 2023? ›
3 best S&P 500 index funds in 2023
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -0.17%) iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV -0.21%) SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY -0.14%)
Quick Look at the Best S&P 500 Index Funds:
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF. SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth.
The S&P 500 was expected to end 2023 at 4,200 points, which would amount to a 9.4% increase for the calendar year, according to the median forecast of 42 strategists polled by Reuters. This forecast target is unchanged from a November 2022 poll.
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- Consumer. staples. Consumer. discretionary. Financials.
- Expense ratio. As index funds are passively managed, expense ratios, which represent the fees you pay for the upkeep of your fund, should be nominal. ...
- Minimum investment. ...
- Dividend yield. ...
- Inception date.
Over the most recent year-to-date, one-, three-, five- and 10-year periods, FLCEX has outperformed the S&P 500, despite a sustained turnover ratio above 80%.
What is the highest paying index fund? ›| Fund | Dividend Yield | Expense Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT:HDV) | 3.57% | 0.08% |
| ProShares S&P 500 Aristocrats ETF (NYSEMKT:NOBL) | 1.94% | 0.35% |
| Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEMKT:SCHD) | 3.39% | 0.06% |
| Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEMKT:VYM) | 3.00% | 0.06% |
Earnings Growth: For Q1 2023, the estimated earnings decline for the S&P 500 is -6.1%. If -6.1% is the actual decline for the quarter, it will mark the largest earnings decline reported by the index since Q2 2020 (-31.8%). Earnings Revisions: On December 31, the estimated earnings decline for Q1 2023 was -0.4%.
Does the S&P 500 double every 7 years? ›
According to his math, since 1949 S&P 500 investments have doubled ten times, or an average of about seven years each time. In some cases, like 1952 to 1955 or 1995 to 1998, the value of the investment doubled in only three years.
What are the financial predictions for 2023? ›Global growth is projected to fall from an estimated 3.4 percent in 2022 to 2.9 percent in 2023, then rise to 3.1 percent in 2024. The forecast for 2023 is 0.2 percentage point higher than predicted in the October 2022 World Economic Outlook (WEO) but below the historical (2000–19) average of 3.8 percent.
Which penny stock will become multibagger in 2023? ›Jai Mata Glass share price history
After ushering in the new year 2023, this penny stock has hit upper circuit on all trade sessions. In year-to-date (YTD) time, this multibagger penny stock has delivered more than 35 per cent return to its shareholders.
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Almost two-thirds of chief economists believe a global recession is likely in 2023; of which 18% consider it extremely likely – more than twice as many as in the previous survey conducted in September 2022.
Is the market going to recover in 2023? ›After ending the year down nearly 20%, the S&P 500 index is in the green for 2023. And the Nasdaq Composite — which plunged 33% in 2022 — is up more than 4.5% this year. So when will stocks fully recover from the bear market? Many experts appear optimistic it will happen in 2023.
How is the market going to be in 2023? ›Most stock market forecasts for 2023 see moderate improvement. UBS targets a year-end 2023 S&P 500 at 3900 and KKR sees it at 4150. CFRA expects a 2.9% gain, which would put the S&P over 3900. It closed the year around 3840.
Is 2023 a year to buy stocks? ›When something's cheap you can buy more of it for the same price, which makes 2023 a great time to start investing. Using the ratio of stock prices to corporate earnings as a measure of valuation, the S&P 500 now trades its cheapest level in years.
Should I put all my money in S&P 500? ›That said, you shouldn't necessarily invest exclusively in the S&P 500. There are other indices, sectors, and groups of stocks you can invest in through mutual funds and ETFs, and there are some excellent individual stocks you can invest in.
Which is better Vanguard S&P 500 ETF or iShares core S&P 500 ETF? ›
Key Points. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF provides stability, with a portfolio containing most of the U.S. market's largest market cap companies. The iShares S&P Core 500 Small Cap ETF provides more upside, but comes with additional risk.
How much of my portfolio should be in the S&P 500? ›But the 5% rule can be broken if the investor is not aware of the fund's holdings. For example, a mutual fund investor can easily pass the 5% rule by investing in one of the best S&P 500 Index funds, because the total number of holdings is at least 500 stocks, each representing 1% or less of the fund's portfolio.
Who is better Fidelity or Vanguard? ›Fidelity and Vanguard both do a good job keeping costs fairly low, but Fidelity has a slight edge overall. Both brokers charge zero commission for stock and ETF trades, but Fidelity charges $0.65 per contract on options trades, while Vanguard charges $1 per contract for customers with less than $1 million in assets.
What mutual funds perform better than the S&P 500? ›| Fund | Seven-year return | One-year return |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley US Growth | 510% | 78.3% |
| Morgan Stanley US Advantage | 371% | 56.5% |
| T. Rowe Price US Large Cap Growth Equity | 312% | 39.8% |
| T. Rowe Price US Blue Chip Equity | 291% | 33.3% |
Fidelity Balanced Fund (FBALX) While no mutual fund is risk-free, one of the safer Fidelity funds is this balanced fund, which carries average risk vs. the above-average risk seen with the typical stock fund. About 60% of its holdings are in stocks, with the rest in bonds and other debt securities.
What are the Big 3 index funds? ›The three largest index fund managers—BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”); State Street Global Advisors, a division of State Street Corporation (“SSGA”); and the Vanguard Group (“Vanguard”)—collectively known as the “Big Three,” own an increasingly large proportion of American public companies.
What is the safest index fund? ›1. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -0.17%) Legendary investor Warren Buffett has said that the best investment the average American can make is a low-cost S&P 500 index fund like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF.
What is the cheapest S&P 500 index fund? ›- Expense Ratio: 0.015%
- 2022 Return: -18.13%
- Yield: 1.33%
- Assets Under Management (AUM): $373.8 billion.
- Minimum Investment: $0.
- Inception Date: Feb. 17, 1988 (Share Class Inception Date: May 4, 2011)
- Issuing Company: Fidelity23.
S&P 500 annual returns
Over the past 30 years, the S&P 500 index has delivered a compound average annual growth rate of 10.7% per year.
The S&P 500 index is a basket of 500 large US stocks, weighted by market cap, and is the most widely followed index representing the US stock market. S&P 500 3 Year Return is at 34.39%, compared to 26.39% last month and 57.08% last year.
How many years does it take for the S&P 500 to double? ›
We saw in the previous section that investing in the S&P 500 has historically allowed investors to double their money about every six or seven years.
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How long to make a million in the S&P 500? ›Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Over the last three decades, the S&P 500 has generated a total return of 1,770%, which is equivalent to an annualized return of 9.9%. At that pace, $100 invested on a weekly basis would grow into a $1 million portfolio in just under 32 years.
From 1999 to 2008, the S&P 500 lost money, and we had inflation, so people were actually worse off. By the real lesson of that period is that you shouldn't invest in just one asset class. So, while U.S. large-cap stocks lost money over that decade, cash made money.
What are the lucky signs in 2023? ›The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope. The luckiest Chinese zodiac signs in 2023 are Oxes, Tigers, and Snakes. Then, with not quite so much luck, come Dogs, Horses, Goats, and Pigs.
Will the US go into a recession in 2023? ›In a best-case scenario, the U.S. will likely see a 'soft landing' with low/slow growth across 2023 before picking up in 2024. However, a downside scenario is a real possibility and could see the U.S. enter a prolonged recession lasting well into 2024, as is currently forecast for the UK and Germany.
Is inflation going to get worse in 2023? ›Two-thirds of U.S. residents believe inflation will be worse in 2023 than it was last year, according to a new survey by WalletHub. The pace of inflation has dropped in recent months, but the poll indicates the subject is still top of mind for many people.
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Which sector is good for investment in 2023? ›The other favourable sectors that investors can bet on in 2023 include defence, renewable energy sector, infrastructure, and capital goods.
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10% Return for S&P 500 a Real Possibility by End of 2023
And in today's market, with its newfound emphasis on fundamentals, earnings really matter. Short of a recession — a very real possibility — consensus estimates are for about 5% earnings growth (opens in new tab) for S&P 500 companies in 2023.
Unfortunately, analysts are anticipating negative overall earnings growth will continue in the first half of 2023. Analysts project S&P 500 earnings will drop 5.7% year-over-year in the first quarter and another 3.7% in the second quarter.
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Will stock market recover 2024? ›
“Early 2024 is in the realm too, but stocks typically begin their recovery after the Fed stops tightening.” Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist, CFRA Research, also anticipates a second-half time frame for a turnaround and expects a recession to materialize in the near term.
Will prices go down in 2023? ›Historically, home prices tend to rise over time, not fall. Prices are currently coming down in some markets, but experts do not expect dramatic drops, at least not for early 2023. In many areas where prices are falling, the declines have not significantly improved affordability.
Where will stock be in 5 years? ›Based on our forecasts, a long-term increase is expected, the "MA" stock price prognosis for 2028-03-01 is 458.278 USD. With a 5-year investment, the revenue is expected to be around +24.9%. Your current $100 investment may be up to $124.9 in 2028.
Will 2023 be a bear market? ›The average forecast expects the S&P 500 to end 2023 at 4,009, according to Bloomberg, the most bearish outlook since 1999.
Should I invest in S&P 500 now? ›But the S&P 500 has a century-long track record of recovering from downturns and earning positive returns over time. Rather than waiting for the perfect time to buy, it's wise to start investing now and give your savings as much time as possible to grow.
What is the financial outlook for 2023? ›In CBO's projections, the federal deficit totals $1.4 trillion in 2023 and averages $2.0 trillion per year from 2024 to 2033. Real GDP growth comes to a halt in 2023 and then rebounds, averaging 2.4 percent from 2024 to 2027.
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