The Motley Fool

JANUARY 20, 2025

Mutual fund company Fidelity reports that as of the third quarter of 2024, over 540,000 participants in the workplace retirement plans it administers were sitting on million-dollar-plus stashes. Just find the most basic index fund -- or something as close to an index fund as you can find -- and opt for that one.

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The Motley Fool

JUNE 29, 2024

Professional fund managers are in charge of investing billions of dollars for investors. It doesn't take an advanced degree or special insider knowledge to do better than the vast majority of actively-managed mutual funds. There are a couple of factors that lead to such dismal results for active funds as a group.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 27, 2024

If your goal is to beat the stock market experts, history proves that there is one ridiculously easy way to do so. Simplicity is key If the vast majority of fund managers lose to the market over an extended period of time, the flip side couldn't be more obvious. Investors have multiple options to choose from.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

Becoming a professional fund manager isn't easy, but it turns out that beating the returns of some of the best fund managers in the world is. It's a quirk of stock market mechanics that makes a simple investment strategy far better than the average actively managed mutual fund. Image source: Getty Images.

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The Motley Fool

MARCH 19, 2025

Even newcomers to the stock market understand that investing is ultimately a matter of trade-offs. And ironically, your highest-odds/best-payoff approach isn't trying to beat the market at all, but instead just aiming to match its performance by buying and holding simple index funds. That's outperform the S&P 500.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 13, 2023

In October 2022, the Motley Fool surveyed 1,200 Gen Z and millennial investors to see what they were holding in their portfolios. It turns out cryptocurrencies -- not stocks -- were the most-held assets among this age cohort. They showed much more of a preference for holding individual stocks. Image source: Getty Images.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 20, 2023

Yes, you could buy a stock, but a better option will probably be an index-based pooled investment product, otherwise known as a fund. This is why you'll probably be best off with Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI). After that's done, you should probably put your $500 into Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2024

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) stock investors got some good news to start their weekends. In 2024, Palantir stock has soared 343% through Dec. So, it's easy to understand how a huge, roughly corresponding increase in Palantir's market cap has landed it a place on the Nasdaq-100. On Friday at 8 p.m.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 22, 2024

Mutual fund company Vanguard Group reports that the average workplace-retirement account for clients aged 65 or older is only $272,588, while the median (or midpoint) balance for these folks is a much smaller $88,488. Given that time does most of the heavy lifting for all investors, this is no small detail. This might help.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Vanguard is a massive investment management company, offering mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETF), 401(k) plans, and many other financial products and tools. The company's founder, Jack Bogle, popularized low-cost passive investing through index funds. That's all well and good for some investors. Energy 4.8%

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The Motley Fool

MAY 29, 2024

The stock market is a great tool for protecting and growing your hard-earned nest egg, and by deciding to take the leap, you already have an advantage. Nearly 30% of Americans don't invest in the stock market at all , according to Gallup data. What's an exchange-traded fund? stock market.

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The Motley Fool

MARCH 16, 2024

Are you looking to make your foray into the stock market but don't know where to start? Making your very first stock pick doesn't have to be a nerve-racking ordeal, either. Every investor should understand the importance of diversification. While some stocks do well, others will lag. Don't sweat it.

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The Motley Fool

MARCH 23, 2024

Mutual fund giant Vanguard has officially crunched the numbers. How you choose to invest this money is up to you, but most work-sponsored 401(k) plans offer a wide array of mutual fund options ranging from growth-seeking funds to value funds to dividend-oriented funds and more.

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The Motley Fool

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Managing a portfolio of stocks isn't everyone's cup of tea. It may also not be your optimal way of building wealth anyway, if the subpar stock-picking performance of most mutual fund managers is any indication. Here's a rundown of the best way to invest in the overall market this month, or for that matter, any month.

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The Motley Fool

JUNE 3, 2024

In particular, people with net worths of $1 million or higher tend to have more of their money in the following: Stocks/mutual funds Real estate Business interests Those in the $10,000 and $100,000 tiers invest in those, too, but not nearly as much. Take the professionally managed hedge funds available to wealthy investors.

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The Motley Fool

AUGUST 22, 2024

A fine place to park that moola, if you want it to grow significantly over many years, is the stock market. Asset Class Annualized Nominal Return, 1802 to 2021 Stocks 8.4% Data source: Stocks for the Long Run , Jeremy Siegel. The lesson here is that stocks outperform bonds over most long periods. Or $50,000.)

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 13, 2024

In my opinion, there's an easy solution for any investor who wants to get started but also wants to keep things simple. Yet, "investing in the stock market" can mean many different things. ETFs are products that trade like stocks but operate like mutual funds. Let me explain what that is. Here's why.

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The Motley Fool

MAY 11, 2024

investors are collecting today from the S&P 500 index. And yet investors looking for down-and-out stocks with high yields will still like what Realty Income (NYSE: O) , Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) , and Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) have to offer. The bigger impact usually comes from the ups and downs of the stock market.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

There's a far better way to go about it and the first step begins with focusing on the right type of investment; in this case, a single Vanguard index fund. Here's how I should have started when I was a beginner investor. The Vanguard Balanced Index Fund is the foundation you need to learn What should I have done? bond market.

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The Motley Fool

AUGUST 26, 2024

There's a lot of jargon in the stock market, and it may seem impossible to figure out what the best stock to buy is. Luckily, you don't have to take that approach, and if you're brand new to investing, buying exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is probably a better move. What are exchange-traded funds?

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The Motley Fool

OCTOBER 13, 2023

But remember, funds removed from an IRA can't enjoy investment gains. So let's say your IRA generally delivers a 10% average yearly return, which is consistent with the stock market's return over the past 50 years. You might consider that a good thing if you're more of a hands-off investor.

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The Motley Fool

AUGUST 20, 2024

Investing in the stock market can be as simple as buying an index fund , adding a little bit of money every month, and watching your nest egg grow. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) market index tracks the performance of the 500 largest American companies. It's managed by the venerable Vanguard fund family.

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The Motley Fool

JUNE 9, 2024

That's saving enough to fund a nice retirement; at the very least, we'd like to maintain the standard of living we're enjoying during our working years. A recent survey by insurer and mutual fund company Northwestern Mutual indicates that the average person thinks a $1.46 million nest egg is the magic number. Target 0.5

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 25, 2024

The good news is the funds with the lowest expense ratios are typically the best long-term investments for a 401(k) -- broad-based index funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). While there are some cases where target-date funds use index funds and keep costs low, that's not always true.

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The Motley Fool

MAY 15, 2024

Since its founding in 1975, Vanguard has earned investors' trust worldwide. Speaking to this fact, the fund family has grown to around $7.5 trillion in assets under management across its mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) offerings. stock market, including large-, mid-, and small-cap companies.

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The Motley Fool

AUGUST 26, 2024

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are one of the best ways investors can build wealth. These funds are a lot like mutual funds with a key difference: You can trade them on the open market just like a stock. Should you invest $1,000 in Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF right now?

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The Motley Fool

JUNE 25, 2024

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been a huge moneymaker for many investors in recent years. Safer than Nvidia stock When many people hear the word "investing," they immediately think of stocks. That's understandable considering the amount of coverage the stock market receives in the news. I don't think so.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 26, 2024

But unfortunately, today's youngest investors seem to be making some big new-investor mistakes. A recent survey from the CFA Institute found that Gen Z investors are taking on too much risk and making some dubious investment choices -- potentially endangering their long-term financial goals. Don't get stuck holding the bag.

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The Motley Fool

JUNE 3, 2024

Insurer and mutual fund company Northwestern Mutual reports that Americans, on average, believe $1.46 If you apply the 4% rule for withdrawals from a retirement fund, such a nest egg would provide roughly $60,000 worth of income the first year it was tapped. Do you know how much money you'll need to retire comfortably?

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The Motley Fool

AUGUST 14, 2024

Whether you're a long-time investor or an investing beginner , stay with me here as I tell you why I'm sticking with the stock market. When it comes to the S&P 500 -- a stock market index that tracks the stock performance of 500 of the largest companies on the stock exchanges -- it's all about digging into past performance.

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The Motley Fool

MAY 27, 2024

trillion in assets under management, Vanguard stands as an indomitable force in the mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) landscape. For many long-term investors, Vanguard's ETFs and mutual funds are the go-to choices, and there's a good reason why. Commanding a staggering $7.2

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

Stocks go up and down. There's opportunity in that, but long-term investors have to resist the temptation to time markets and stocks with the hope of benefiting specifically from price swings. The most basic and simple way to do that is to buy a balanced mutual fund. Thus there is diversification.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 13, 2023

REITs allow investors to invest in diversified portfolios of properties that would otherwise cost millions or billions to access. You could spend a substantial portion of your capital to acquire real estate or buy a REIT on the stock market for a fraction of the price and effort. Telecom Tower REITs: 13.3% Retail REITs: 12.5%

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The Motley Fool

JULY 15, 2024

How ETFs work An ETF is an investment security that operates much like a mutual fund, but trades like a stock. Most ETFs are pooled investment products -- they hold baskets of stocks. This allows smaller retail investors to easily diversify their holdings across many stocks. traded companies.

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The Motley Fool

OCTOBER 16, 2024

But let's focus on stock investing -- and i f there's one product that is perfect for beginners, it has to be exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In short, ETFs are like mutual funds , but they trade like stocks. That makes them accessible, cheap, and omnipresent. My top choice? per year).

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The Motley Fool

MAY 27, 2024

You'd have more than a million dollars in the Google parent's stock today if you invested just $15,000 when it entered the public stock market in 2004. The bigger they are, the harder they fall Many diversified mutual funds or ETFs can handle a long-term investment like the example above.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 8, 2024

These specialized investment products trade like stocks, but they have many of the characteristics of mutual funds. The beauty of ETFs is that they make investing in a diverse portfolio of stocks straightforward and accessible. ETFs charge various management fees to their investors. stock market.

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