S And P 500 Index

3/30/2019
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S And P 500 Index Rating: 7,4/10 140 reviews

If you guess that the best S&P 500 Index funds are those that have the lowest expense ratios, you are mostly correct. However, in addition to low costs, there is a delicate balance of science and art to indexing that makes only a few mutual fund companies qualify to make our list of the best index funds.

Keeping Costs Low

This is the aspect of index fund investing that most investors know to be crucial to producing the best index funds. Essentially, the index funds with the lowest expense ratios generate the best returns over time. This is also an advantage of using index funds as opposed to actively managed funds.

For example, if an index fund has an expense ratio of 0.12 but a comparable actively managed fund has an expense ratio of 1.12, the index fund has an immediate 1.00% advantage over the actively managed fund. Because index funds are passively managed (they simply match the holdings of a given index), the costs of managing the fund are dramatically reduced. With no real research required, costs can be kept extremely low, which has a positive impact on returns over time.

Tight Index Tracking

Now we are getting into the science of indexing. Investment analysts put together indexes (various lists of stocks or bonds) to create benchmarks for the purpose of measuring broad market averages. The best-known indexes are the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Index funds seek to mirror the performance of a particular benchmark index. For example, most large-cap stock funds try to beat the best-fit index for large-cap stocks, the S&P 500.

However, the objective of an S&P 500 Index fund is not to 'beat the index' but to match it, which means the fund will attempt to replicate the performance of the index. To do this, put simply, the fund will hold the same stocks found within the S&P 500. Therefore, the best stock index funds will do a good job of matching the list of stocks (holdings) represented in the benchmark index. Stock analysts may call this 'low tracking error.'

Using Proper Weighting Methods

There is more to building an index fund than simply buying the securities represented in the index. To create an index fund, and ensure good performance tracking, the management team and supporting staff will determine how much (the number of shares) of each holding on the list to purchase.

The idea is to match the percentage 'weighting' of the index itself. Indexes that rank the holdings so that the larger components are given larger percentage weights are called capitalization-weighted indexes (aka cap-weighted or market cap weighted indexes). Microsoft visio 2010 professional.

The S&P 500 is an example of a cap-weighted index. Most index funds will mirror the cap-weighted index by buying shares of holdings to make the stocks with the largest capitalization the largest holding by percentage in the index fund. For example, if XYZ Corporation stock has the largest market capitalization, XYZ Corporation stock will represent the largest percentage of the index fund.

Sizing Things Up

In the indexing world, size can matter. Large mutual fund companies, such as The Vanguard Group, Fidelity Investments, and Charles Schwab have large numbers of investors and therefore they have the assets to effectively manage the fund (i.e. buy shares of holdings, provide liquidity to meet the demand for investor withdrawals). By comparison, an index fund with a low amount of assets may find difficulty in keeping the portfolio properly weighted to the index.

Top 3 Best S&P 500 Index Funds

Now that you know what it takes to make the best index funds, you can select the best S&P 500 Index Funds. I'm sure you'll agree with our top three S&P 500 Index Fund selections:

  • Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX): Vanguard was built upon indexing and is the original in the world of index funds. Forty-five years ago, Vanguard founder, John Bogle, observed that the majority of stock investors were unable to outperform the S&P 500 Index consistently over long periods of time. His idea was to simply match the holdings of the index and keep costs low. Simplicity and frugality are two of the greatest tenets of successful investing and Vanguard has these virtues mastered. Vanguard is also owned by its investors, which places its priorities on providing high-quality, low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, as opposed to a culture of high profits typical of some publicly owned financial institutions.
  • SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) was the first exchange traded fund listed in the United States (January 1993). Investors use SPY because it offers a wide range of large U.S. companies with a single purchase. This high-volume ETF combines stock from companies with a market capitalization of $5 billion or greater in one diverse portfolio, and trades almost 16 billion shares per day on average.
  • iShares Core S&P 500 (IVV) is a broadly traded ETF that tracks the S&P 500. Investors are usually attracted to IVV because they can get S&P 500 exposure at a low holding cost. This ETF trades on average 850 million shares everyday. IVV combines the largest capitalization U.S. stocks in one portfolio, and focuses on tax efficiency and long-term growth.

Tips for S&P 500 Index Fund Research

If you are fortunate enough to have high balances in your investment accounts, you may qualify for other share classes that have even lower expense ratios than those funds listed here. For example, Vanguard has another share class, called Admiral Shares, that provide lower expense ratios.

Disclaimer: The information on this site is provided for discussion purposes only, and should not be misconstrued as investment advice. Under no circumstances does this information represent a recommendation to buy or sell securities.

footnote1As of December 31, 2018.

footnote2Vanguard average expense ratio: 0.07%. Industry average expense ratio: 0.26%. All averages are for index mutual funds and ETFs and are asset-weighted. Industry average excludes Vanguard. Sources: Vanguard and Morningstar, Inc., as of December 31, 2018.

footnote3For the 10-year period ended December 31, 2018, 9 of 16 Vanguard bond index funds, 14 of 17 Vanguard balanced index funds, and 94 of 106 Vanguard stock index funds—for a total of 117 of 139 Vanguard index funds—outperformed their Lipper peer-group averages. Results will vary for other time periods. Only index mutual funds and ETFs with a minimum 10-year history were included in the comparison. Source: Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company. The competitive performance data shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results.View fund performance

You must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares through Vanguard Brokerage Services (we offer them commission-free) or through another broker (which may charge commissions). See the Vanguard Brokerage Services commission and fee schedules for full details. Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable directly with the issuing fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. ETFs are subject to market volatility. When buying or selling an ETF, you will pay or receive the current market price, which may be more or less than net asset value.

All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. There is no guarantee that any particular asset allocation or mix of funds will meet your investment objectives or provide you with a given level of income.

Bond funds are subject to the risk that an issuer will fail to make payments on time and that bond prices will decline because of rising interest rates or negative perceptions of an issuer's ability to make payments. Investments in stocks or bonds issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to risks including country/regional risk and currency risk. Funds that concentrate on a relatively narrow market sector face the risk of higher share-price volatility.

Investments in Target Retirement Funds are subject to the risks of their underlying funds. The year in the fund name refers to the approximate year (the target date) when an investor in the fund would retire and leave the workforce. The fund will gradually shift its emphasis from more aggressive investments to more conservative ones based on its target date. An investment in a Target Retirement Fund is not guaranteed at any time, including on or after its target date.