You'll often hear that it's important to diversify your holdings in your brokerage account. If you only invest in a single industry, you'll risk major losses in a situation where that sector alone is negatively impacted.
Take someone who focused their investing strategy on travel stocks in early 2020. Travel stocks took a huge hit that year due to pandemic-related shutdowns, which means anyone with most of their portfolio in travel stocks would've been looking at serious losses.
Now, there are different ways you can go about diversifying your portfolio. You could simply buy stocks across a range of market sectors. Or, you could load up on S&P 500 ETFs.
ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, trade publicly and consist of numerous stocks. You can buy sector-specific ETFs -- for example, travel ETFs. Or, you could buy S&P 500 ETFs.
The S&P 500 index consists of the 500 largest publicly traded companies today. The index is usually indicative of the stock market's performance as a whole. So when you buy S&P 500 ETFs, you're effectively putting your money into the broad market. You're also getting instant diversification.
Investing in S&P 500 ETFs can be a great strategy, especially if you're not so confident about choosing stocks individually. But should you only invest in S&P 500 ETFs?
The one time it's okay to choose a single investment
You wouldn't ever want to load up your portfolio with a single stock. But if you're buying S&P 500 ETFs, this is the one scenario where you might get away with only owning a single investment. That's because your investment gives you access to the broad stock market.
Meanwhile, if you only invest in S&P 500 ETFs, you won't beat the broad market. Rather, you can expect your portfolio's performance to be in line with that of the broad market. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
See, over the past 50 years, the S&P 500 has delivered an average annual 10% return. That average accounts for years of strong performance as well as downturns.
A 10% return is a pretty good one. For context, a $6,000 investment that enjoys a 10% annual return over 40 years will grow into almost $272,000. So if you're happy with a portfolio that performs comparably to the stock market as a whole, then sticking to S&P 500 ETFs alone isn't a bad idea.
However, if you assemble a portfolio of individual stocks that perform better, you might enjoy a 12% or 15% return over time -- or more. A $6,000 investment that earns 15% a year over 40 years will grow into $1.6 million.
How much effort do you want to put in?
Putting your money into S&P 500 ETFs only might limit your returns to some degree. But in exchange, you'll have a lot less work on your hands. You won't have to research individual stocks for your portfolio and keep tabs on their performance quarter after quarter.
If you don't want to put a lot of effort into managing your investments, then S&P 500 ETFs are a good solution. But if you're willing to do the work, then you might do even better in the long run with a portfolio of hand-picked stocks (although, the odds are against you).
Another idea? Do both. Keep some of your portfolio in the S&P 500 but also add stocks you think offer exceptional value. With any luck, you'll enjoy solid returns as a result of a modest amount of research, but not an overwhelming amount.
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FAQs
Meanwhile, if you only invest in S&P 500 ETFs, you won't beat the broad market. Rather, you can expect your portfolio's performance to be in line with that of the broad market. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. See, over the past 50 years, the S&P 500 has delivered an average annual 10% return.
Is it okay to only invest in the S&P 500 index fund? ›
Investing in an S&P 500 fund can instantly diversify your portfolio and is generally considered less risky. S&P 500 index funds or ETFs will track the performance of the S&P 500, which means when the S&P 500 does well, your investment will, too. (The opposite is also true, of course.)
What if I invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 10 years ago? ›
Over the past decade, you would have done even better, as the S&P 500 posted an average annual return of a whopping 12.68%. Here's how much your account balance would be now if you were invested over the past 10 years: $1,000 would grow to $3,300. $5,000 would grow to $16,498.
Is it smart to only invest in ETFs? ›
ETFs can be a great investment for long-term investors and those with shorter-term time horizons. They can be especially valuable to beginning investors. That's because they won't require the time, effort, and experience needed to research individual stocks.
Is S&P 500 ETF enough? ›
An S&P 500 Index ETF is a good choice for an investor who wants the equivalent of a diverse portfolio but can't or won't directly buy the stocks of every one of the 500 biggest large-cap U.S. companies. Its risk level is moderate.
How much would I have if I invested $10,000 in S&P 500? ›
Assuming an average annual return rate of about 10% (a typical historical average), a $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 could potentially grow to approximately $25,937 over 10 years.
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Average returns
| Period | Average annualised return | Total return |
|---|
| Last year | 26.2% | 26.2% |
| Last 5 years | 16.4% | 114.0% |
| Last 10 years | 15.3% | 314.1% |
| Last 20 years | 10.8% | 684.6% |
Craziest thing I learned recently: $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 1980 would be worth over $1M today.
How much will I have if I invest $500 a month for 10 years? ›
What happens when you invest $500 a month
| Rate of return | 10 years | 20 years |
|---|
| 4% | $72,000 | $178,700 |
| 6% | $79,000 | $220,700 |
| 8% | $86,900 | $274,600 |
| 10% | $95,600 | $343,700 |
Nov 15, 2023
For instance, some ETFs may come with fees, others might stray from the value of the underlying asset, ETFs are not always optimized for taxes, and of course — like any investment — ETFs also come with risk.
Which ETF gives the highest return? ›
6 Best Performing ETFs last 10 years in India
- Nippon India ETF Nifty 50 BeES. 102.38% 707.9%
- Nippon India ETF Gold BeES. 99.57% 467.4%
- Invesco India Gold ETF. 107.00% 288.0%
- UTI S&P BSE Sensex ETF. 95.56% 200.8%
- BHARAT 22 ETF. 161.65% 172.2%
- Nippon India ETF PSU Bank BeES.
Holding an ETF for longer than a year may get you a more favorable capital gains tax rate when you sell your investment.
Why shouldn't you just invest in the S&P 500? ›
The S&P 500 carries market risk, as its value fluctuates with overall market performance, as well as the performance of heavily weighted stocks and sectors. For example, the technology sector performed poorly in 2022 and was a large contributor to the index's correction that year.
Why buy VOO instead of Spy? ›
Vanguard S&P offers a lower expense ratio (0.035%) than SPY (0.095%), which means lower costs for investors and potentially higher net returns over the long term. VOO might be the more economical choice for cost-conscious investors, especially those investing large sums or planning for long-term goals like retirement.
Is now a bad time to invest in the S&P 500? ›
It's unclear where the S&P 500 is headed in the coming months, but the best thing you can do right now is to continue investing consistently. By keeping your money in the market for the long haul, you can minimize risk while maximizing your earnings potential over time.
Can I invest only in index funds? ›
You can directly invest in index funds by opening and funding a brokerage account. All brokers allow you to directly buy shares of ETFs on the open market, and most allow you to directly invest in mutual funds if you prefer to use those.
What are the disadvantages of the S&P 500 index fund? ›
The main drawback to the S&P 500 is that the index gives higher weights to companies with more market capitalization. The stock prices for Apple and Microsoft have a much greater influence on the index than a company with a lower market cap.
Why don't people just invest in index funds? ›
Indexes are set portfolios. If an investor buys an index fund, they have no control over the individual holdings in the portfolio. You may have specific companies that you like and want to own, such as a favorite bank or food company that you have researched and want to buy.
Is S&P 500 considered risky investment? ›
The index has risks inherent in equity investing: The S&P 500 has risks inherent in equity investing, such as volatility and downside risk. Newer investors may find it difficult to tolerate such volatility.
