Should I just invest in index funds?
Index funds often perform better than actively managed funds over the long-term. Index funds are less expensive than actively managed funds. Index funds typically carry less risk than individual stocks.
If you're new to investing, you can absolutely start off by buying index funds alone as you learn more about how to choose the right stocks. But as your knowledge grows, you may want to branch out and add different companies to your portfolio that you feel align well with your personal risk tolerance and goals.
Index funds are popular with investors because they promise ownership of a wide variety of stocks, greater diversification and lower risk – usually all at a low cost. That's why many investors, especially beginners, find index funds to be superior investments to individual stocks.
The biggest difference between investing in index funds and investing in stocks is risk. Individual stocks tend to be far more volatile than fund-based products, including index funds. This can mean a bigger chance for upside … but it also means considerably greater chance of loss.
While it's true that index funds have historically provided solid returns, it's important to remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Blindly putting all of your savings into index funds without considering other investment options or your personal financial goals could be a mistake.
Lack of Global Diversification
The S&P 500 is all US-domiciled companies that over the last ~40 years have accounted for ~50% of all global stocks. By just owning the S&P 500 you miss out on almost half of the global opportunity set which is another ~10,000 public companies.
Disadvantages include the lack of downside protection, no choice in index composition, and it cannot beat the market (by definition).
While indexes may be low cost and diversified, they prevent seizing opportunities elsewhere. Moreover, indexes do not provide protection from market corrections and crashes when an investor has a lot of exposure to stock index funds.
In fact, a number of billionaire investors count S&P 500 index funds among their top holdings. Among those are Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Dalio's Bridgewater, and Griffin's Citadel.
Yes, there are several dividend-paying index funds for investors who prioritize steady income over high growth.
Should I just put money into S&P 500?
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.)
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.
Ever since the S&P 500 index was devised, it has built an impeccable track record of earning positive returns over time. In fact, research shows it's actually harder to lose money with the S&P 500 than it is to make money if you keep a long-term outlook.
Probably the biggest thing to consider here is what timescale you consider them to be “safe” over. Over the long term, index investments are probably fairly safe- if you put some money in an index fund and left it for 10+ years, most likely it would have increased by then.
One of the main reasons is that some investors believe they can outperform the market by actively selecting individual stocks or actively managed funds.
Ideally, you should stay invested in equity index funds for the long run, i.e., at least 7 years. That is because investing in any equity instrument for the short-term is fraught with risks. And as we saw, the chances of getting positive returns improve when you give time to your investments.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in February 2014 would be worth $5,971.20, or a gain of 497.12%, as of February 5, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases. Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 178.17% and gold's return of 55.50% over the same time frame.
In 1980, had you invested a mere $1,000 in what went on to become the top-performing stock of S&P 500, then you would be sitting on a cool $1.2 million today.
$10,000 invested in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 2000 would have grown to $32,527 over 20 years — an average return of 6.07% per year.
While there are few certainties in the financial world, there's virtually no chance that an index fund will ever lose all of its value. One reason for this is that most index funds are highly diversified. They buy and hold identical weights of each stock in an index, such as the S&P 500.
Has the S&P 500 ever lost money?
In 2002, the fallout from frenzied investments in internet technology companies and the subsequent implosion of the dot-com bubble caused the S&P 500 to drop 23.4%. And in 2008, the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the subsequent global financial crisis caused the S&P 500 to fall 38.5%.
The S&P 500, through index funds from the likes of Vanguard and SPDR, provides long-term returns that have historically outpaced inflation.
The concept of the "safest investment" can vary depending on individual perspectives and economic contexts, but generally, cash and government bonds, particularly U.S. Treasury securities, are often considered among the safest investment options available. This is because there is minimal risk of loss.
The average stock market return is about 10% per year, as measured by the S&P 500 index, but that 10% average rate is reduced by inflation. Investors can expect to lose purchasing power of 2% to 3% every year due to inflation. » Learn more about purchasing power with NerdWallet's inflation calculator.
| Fund | 2023 performance (%) | 3yr performance (%) |
|---|---|---|
| MS INVF US Insight | 52.26 | -47.18 |
| Sands Capital US Select Growth Fund | 51.3 | -20.88 |
| Natixis Loomis Sayles US Growth Equity | 49.56 | 26.07 |
| T. Rowe Price US Blue Chip Equity | 49.54 | 5.81 |
