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Best Performing S&P 500 Index Funds to Buy

February 22, 2016 By Dividend Mantra Team 4 Comments

As most people in the industry would point out, buying an S&P 500 index fund used to be a very simple thing to do. Today, however, things have changed. In the past, the best funds were the ones with the lowest costs. Nowadays, apart from the low costs, you also have to navigate a pathway that is part art and part science to decide which side to choose. Add on top of that the fact that there are only a handful of mutual fund companies that will offer you the best index funds, and you can find yourself in quite the conundrum. Here is a short guide that details the best S&P 500 index funds, which will help you choose.

daily volume in the S&P 500 index

What Is the S&P 500 Index Fund?

The S&P 500 stands for “the Standard & Poor’s 500 index”. As the name suggests, it’s an index comprising the US’ largest 500 companies, as listed by the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ. The Standard & Poor Index Committee selects them based on their market capitalization. The reason this index is so important is the fact that it’s the most famous barometer as far as the American equity market goes.

The index is supported by funds which investors use to establish core allocations in the American equity market. The equities themselves have been chosen and advised on by Warren Buffet himself, one of the biggest investors of all times in the US. The funds will also use constituents of similar weight to duplicate the benchmark index performance. This means that they will invest a great amount of their total net assets in very common stocks. These stocks need to be included in the benchmark index and have varying prices.

The S&P 500 comes with many ticker symbols, such as ^GSPC, INX, and $SPX. You can also find an interactive or logarithmic chart to show you its exact evolution.

What Does it Take to Make it into the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index?

Mutual fund companies, as previously mentioned, need to be selected to make it in the index. Therefore, they must present a series of assets so that they can be listed in the index and presented as the best choice for future users. Here are the criteria they need to meet.

  • They need to keep costs low. Upon discussing with the seniors of the trade, they will tell you that, from a historical point of view, low costs are the most important criteria for a company to be successful. That happens even after it has been selected to appear on the index. The simple reason behind this is that index funds that have low ratios of expense will generate bigger profits as time goes by.
  • They need to match the Index Fund Holdings. This is where the science part of the game comes in. Investment analysts compile indexes, which are lists of stocks and bonds. They use them to create benchmarks so that they can measure broad market averages. Your most famous indexes are The S&P 500, NASDAQ and Dow Jones. They need to replicate how a particular benchmark index performs. In laymen’s terms, this means that the fund needs to hold the same stocks as found in the index. Thus, the best index will always be the one that manages to match best its list of stocks as it’s found in the benchmark index.
  • They need to use the proper weighting methods. When building an index, the persons responsible for creating it need to need to assess how many shares on each holding from the list they need to buy. They need to do so to match the percentage “weighting” of the index itself. For example, the S&P 500 is what they call a cap-weighted index, where cap stands for capitalization. That’s because it ranks the holdings in such a way so as the larger components can receive larger percentage weights.
  • They need to size everything up. Size is indeed an important thing in this line of business. Simply put, the more assets an index has, the better it will be for keeping its portfolio properly weighted. For example, a large index, such as The S&P 500, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab will always rank higher in preferences than a small one. If they have more assets under their belt, they will be able to successfully manage their fund.

SP 500 ETF diagram

Which Are the Best S&P Index Funds?

Now that we have covered some of the basics on the topic, and you have learnt how they work, let’s take a look at some of the best-performing index funds out there:

The Vanguard 500 Index Fund

It’s also called VFINX, and that is how you are most likely to find it in field-related literature. The first thing you need to know about it is that it was the very first in the indexing world. This makes it a symbol in the history of the trade. It was founded 35 years ago, by John Bogle. He noticed that most stocks investors were unable to outrun the S&P 500 in a consistent manner and over a bigger period. His revolutionary idea was, in fact, very simple. He wanted to match the index’s holdings and keep all the costs as low as possible.

Another interesting and great thing about Vanguard is the fact that is co-owned by its investors. This translates into high-quality and low-cost mutual funds, in a market flooded by publicly-owned financial companies, who sport a culture of large profits.

Since its inception, Vanguard has generated average annual returns of 10.99%. As far as its shares go, Warren Buffet advises investors to bet on The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral (Adm) Shares (VFIAX). The reason behind that is that it has very low costs.

Its main alternative and competitor is called the S&P Dividend Aristocrats Index. It’s an index constructed of S&P 500 stocks, and it plays the game by calling Vanguard “vanilla.”

comparison between SP 500 index funds

The Fidelity Spartan 500 Index Fund

It’s also called FUSEX or SPTN, and it has made its goal to compete with Vanguard. They have managed to challenge Vanguard many times, and they came very close, landing on the second spot. They have their size and their vast experience as far as indexing goes to thank for that. They offer a similar package as Vanguard does. This is why the two titans are often indistinguishable in their expense and performance services. Apart from the fact that this “battle between giants” is interesting, it also translates into high-quality funds for the investor to work with. Therefore, whichever one you decide to choose, you can rest assured your interests will be perfectly represented.

Fidelity usually requires a minimum investment at the price of $2,500. Also, it uses a combination of equity index futures contracts and investment deals.

The Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund

The shorter name of this index fund is SWPPX. It was founded by Charles Schwab, and he made a real effort into securing discount brokerage services for its investors. Also, they took a plunge into Vanguard and Fidelity’s index fund markets. This means that Charles Schwab’s index funds are now actually higher as far as expense ratio goes than those of their main competitors.

If you happen to have already started doing business with a Schwab investor, you can very well save the transaction fee and use it for out-of-network funds. Your Schwab index funds will help you greatly in this regard.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Index Fund

It was issued in 1993 for the NY Stock Exchange by State Street Global Advisors. Its main trustees and distributors are State Street Bank & Trust Company and ALPS Distributors, Inc. Just like the other three index funds, SPY tries to hold a big common stock portfolio, which can mirror the benchmark index. Because of this endeavor, it has managed to become one of the most trusted liquid securities funds tracking the S&P 500 index in the world.

The T. Rowe Price Equity Index 500 Fund

As far as options go, you also have the PREFIX. It too tracks the large stocks coming from the S&P 500 index. It has a fascinating and large portfolio. It includes companies such as Apple, Exxon Mobile, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft. This means that the fund specializes in technology. Class performance is unpredictable. However, research data coming from the signal services shows that its assets come to $25 billion year to date.

As far as deciding which the best performing S&P Index Fund is, one should always refer to a specialist. Choosing a particular fund to buy can be tricky. Apart from that, keeping track of your investments on a monthly basis, to say the least, is difficult. Having a broker on your side is always the smart thing to do, even when you choose one of the big funds presented here as your primary target.

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3

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Filed Under: Stock Talk Tagged With: schwab s&p 500 index fund, sp 500 index funds, standard & poor's 500 index, vanguard 500 index fund

Comments

  1. EarlyRetirementGuy says

    February 22, 2016 at 11:08 am

    What is this? Contains no real information beyond an extremely basic explanation of index funds and provides no meaningful comparison of the different fund options to ‘help you chose’.

  2. ruddy says

    February 22, 2016 at 11:22 am

    Who is the author of this article?

  3. Jobo says

    February 22, 2016 at 11:26 am

    This is a great article! I am investing $3 a month into S&P 500. At this rate I expect to become FI by 2084.

  4. Jobo says

    February 22, 2016 at 11:29 am

    Nonsense. This is the best article ever on Dividend Mantra!

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      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Dividend Increases
      • Weekend Reading - August 3, 2013
      • Freedom Fund Update - August 2013
    • ► July 2013 (13)
      • My Watch List For August
      • A Tale Of Two Stocks - One Headwind, One Tailwind
      • Financial Independence Is Both A Journey And A Destination
      • My Brand New Minty Fresh Dental Plan
      • Caution Warranted
      • Mid-Year Goals Review
      • Which Is Riskier - 1 Paycheck Or 50 Paychecks?
      • Recent Dividend Increases
      • Income/Expenses For June 2013
      • Dividend Income Update - June 2013
      • Weekend Reading - July 6, 2013
      • Recent Buy
      • Freedom Fund Update - July 2013
    • ► June 2013 (15)
      • Scottrade FRIP And Diversifying Brokerage Firms
      • My Watch List For July
      • Delaying Gratification? What's Gratifying To You?
      • Weekend Reading - June 23, 2013
      • Recent Buy
      • I'm Not Buying Stocks, I'm Buying Ownership In High Quality Companies
      • Why This Blog Exists
      • Three High Quality Dividend Growth Stocks On My Radar
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For May 2013
      • Weekend Reading - June 8, 2013
      • Dividend Income Update - May 2013
      • Recent Buy
      • Freedom Fund Update - June 2013
      • Recent Buy
    • ► May 2013 (12)
      • Dividend Growth Investing And The Joy Of Doing Nothing
      • Equities: Unlimited Upside With Limited Downside
      • Meet Kraig From Young Cheap Living
      • Two Reasonably Appealing Stock Ideas
      • One Year Older, One Year Closer
      • Do You Have A Dream?
      • Current Difficulties In Allocating Capital
      • Income/Expenses For April 2013
      • I Just Bought A Time Machine
      • Dividend Income Update - April 2013
      • Weekend Reading - May 3, 2013
      • Freedom Fund Update - May 2013
    • ► April 2013 (15)
      • Early Retirement Is Impossible Because Of Health Insurance Costs...Not!
      • Recent Dividend Increases
      • Dividend Investing For Beginners
      • Why I Love Dividend Growth Investing
      • Weekend Reading - April 19, 2013
      • Recent Buy
      • LBYM
      • Recent Buy
      • Dividend Mantra On The Today Show!
      • Why I Vastly Prefer Dividend Growth Investing To Index Investing
      • Income/Expenses For March 2013
      • Interview With Dividend Monk
      • Recent Buy
      • Dividend Income Update - March 2013
      • Freedom Fund Update - April 2013
    • ► March 2013 (12)
      • Pardon The Dust - New Look!
      • As Featured In USA Today!
      • What Are You Buying?
      • The Three P's of Life - Patience, Persistence, Perseverance
      • Recent Buy
      • Weekend Reading - March 16, 2013
      • DGI Case Study - $5K to $100K In Three Years
      • Income/Expenses For February 2013
      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Sale
      • Dividend Income Update - February 2013
      • Freedom Fund Update - March 2013
    • ► February 2013 (12)
      • Recent Buy
      • Three Canadian Stocks On My Watchlist
      • Weekdend Reading - February 22, 2013
      • The Big Three
      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Dividend Increases
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For January 2013
      • Recent Buy
      • Who Are You?
      • Dividend Income Update - January 2013
      • Freedom Fund Update - February 2013
    • ► January 2013 (10)
      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Sale
      • Dividend Growth Investing In A Bull Market
      • Reconsidering Abbott Labs (ABT) And AbbVie (ABBV)
      • I'm Dying And So Are You
      • My Goals For 2013
      • 2012 Goals Reviewed
      • Income/Expenses For December 2012
      • Dividend Income Update - December 2012
      • Freedom Fund Update - January 2013
  • ► 2012 (112)
    • ► December 2012 (10)
      • Recent Buy
      • Happy Holidays!
      • Holding Vs. Deploying Cash
      • The Fiscal Cliff...Opportunity Or Doomsday?
      • If You Must Value The Market
      • Time: It's Everything
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For November 2012
      • Dividend Income Update - November 2012
      • Freedom Fund Update - December 2012
    • ► November 2012 (13)
      • What Are You Buying?
      • Recent Dividend Increases
      • Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
      • Walking The Path
      • Scooter Redux
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For October 2012
      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Dividend Increases
      • Guest Post: What If You Could Not Sell Your Stocks?
      • Ignore The Noise
      • Dividend Income Update - October 2012
      • Freedom Fund Update - November 2012
    • ► October 2012 (13)
      • Is It Worth It?
      • Warren Buffett's Wise Words
      • What Are You Buying?
      • Fear And Uncertainty Creates Opportunity
      • Saving Money Is Like Losing Weight
      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Sale
      • Dividend Growth Index Update - Q3 2012
      • Income/Expenses For September 2012
      • Dividend Income Update - September 2012
      • 2012 Stock Picking Contest - Q3 Results
      • Freedom Fund Update - October 2012
    • ► September 2012 (12)
      • Your Savings Rate Trumps Your Investment Returns
      • Weekend Reading - September 23, 2012
      • Recent Buy
      • YOLO
      • Recent Buy
      • Two Great Gym-Free And Equipment-Free Exercises
      • Beautiful Day
      • Trading Vs. Investing
      • Income/Expenses For August 2012
      • Recent Buy
      • Dividend Income Update - August 2012
      • Freedom Fund Update - September 2012
    • ► August 2012 (10)
      • What Are You Buying?
      • The Dividend Toolkit: Review
      • Weekend Reading - August 25, 2012
      • Dividends Are My Fruit
      • The Best Thing About Financial Independence: Choice
      • My Biggest Financial Mistake
      • Recent Dividend Increases
      • Recent Buy
      • Finding Value In This Market
      • I'll Be Back
    • ► June 2012 (1)
      • Taking A Break
    • ► May 2012 (9)
      • My Scooter And Me
      • Early Retirement Isn't For Everyone
      • Recent Buy
      • Guest Post: How Frugality Has Forever Changed My Life For The Better
      • I've Turned 30!
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For April 2012
      • Dividend Income Update - April 2012
      • Freedom Fund Update - May 2012
    • ► April 2012 (10)
      • Three Solid Stocks To Purchase On Weakness
      • Do You Own Or Rent?
      • Five Awesome Things You Can Do When You're Financially Independent
      • Income/Expenses For March 2012
      • Recent Buy
      • Dividend Income Update - March 2012
      • Weekend Reading - April 7, 2012
      • Dividend Growth Index Update Q1 2012
      • 2012 Best Dividend Stocks Q1 Results
      • Freedom Fund Update - April 2012
    • ► March 2012 (13)
      • 5 Awesome Things About Living Car-Free
      • What Are You Buying?
      • Guest Post: Confessions Of A Dividend Junkie
      • Were You Worth More As A Baby?
      • Recent Buy
      • Weekend Reading - March 17, 2012
      • The Poor Rich Need Dividends?
      • My New Ride - Part III
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For February 2012
      • Dividend Increase - Harris Corporation (HRS)
      • Dividend Income Update - February 2012
      • Freedom Fund Update - March 2012
    • ► February 2012 (10)
      • Recent Buy
      • Weekend Reading - February 26, 2012
      • Recent Sale
      • Stick To Your Plan
      • Recent Buy
      • Frugality Vs. Quality Of Life
      • What's Your Crossover?
      • Income/Expenses For January 2012
      • Dividend Income Update - January 2012
      • Freedom Fund Update - February 2012
    • ► January 2012 (11)
      • Opportunity In Philip Morris International (PM)
      • Recent Buy
      • Ever Consider Semi-Early Retirement?
      • My New Ride - Part II
      • My Goals For 2012
      • 2011 Goals Reviewed
      • Income/Expenses For December 2011
      • Start Off Your New Year Right
      • Dividend Growth Index Update - Q4 2011
      • 2012 Best Dividend Stocks
      • Freedom Fund Update - January 2012
  • ► 2011 (150)
    • ► December 2011 (17)
      • Happy New Year!
      • Dividend Income Update - December 2011
      • Merry Christmas!
      • Guest Post At Mr. Money Mustache
      • Time: A Dividend Growth Investor's Greatest Ally
      • Free Your Chains
      • Weekend Reading - December, 17, 2011
      • What Is An Economic Moat?
      • Recent Buy
      • Recent Sale
      • Weekend Reading - December 10, 2011
      • Cheap Stock With A Recent Dividend Hike
      • Income/Expenses For November 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - November 2011
      • Weekend Reading - December 3, 2011
      • Freedom Fund Update - December 2011
      • When To Sell A Dividend Growth Stock
    • ► November 2011 (14)
      • Why I Cancelled My Gym Membership
      • What Are You Buying?
      • My Second Job Isn't A Job At All
      • Considering The Downside To Early Retirement
      • My Food Budget Demystified
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For October 2011
      • Weekend Reading - November 12, 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - October 2011
      • Recent Buy
      • Using Reward Programs To Your Advantage
      • Weekend Reading - November 5, 2011
      • Low Yield, High Growth
      • Freedom Fund Update - November 2011
    • ► October 2011 (18)
      • What Are You Buying?
      • My $100 Phone Call
      • Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Is Splitting
      • Perspective
      • Weekend Reading - October 22, 2011
      • Two Industrials Catching My Eye
      • Recent Buy
      • My Thoughts On An Emergency Fund
      • Weekend Reading - October, 15, 2011
      • Consumer Stocks: Safety In A Volatile Market
      • Income/Expenses For September 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - September 2011
      • What Are You Buying?
      • Weekend Reading - October 8, 2011
      • Recent Buy
      • Dividend Growth Index - My Picks Explained
      • Freedom Fund Update - October 2011
      • Weekend Reading - October 1, 2011
    • ► September 2011 (16)
      • 10-Year Treasury Yield? Double It!
      • Introducing The Dividend Growth Index
      • When Saving Money Costs You More
      • Philip Morris International - Dividend Increase
      • Why A Low Payout Ratio Is Important
      • What If You Could Buy Time?
      • Weekend Reading - September 17, 2011
      • Gold As An Investment
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses For August 2011
      • Weekend Reading - September 10, 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - August 2011
      • What Are You Buying?
      • Freedom Fund Update - September 2011
      • Weekend Reading - September 3, 2011
      • Recent Buy
    • ► August 2011 (16)
      • Retiring Overseas
      • Frugal Fatigue?
      • Why I Average Down
      • Moving Day
      • 7 Links Project
      • Weekend Reading - August 21, 2011
      • 5 Stocks On Sale
      • Income/Expenses For July 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - July 2011
      • Weekend Reading - August 14, 2011
      • 5 Steps To Retire In 12 Years
      • Recent Buy
      • Weekend Reading - August 6, 2011
      • Freedom Fund Update - August 2011
      • Opportunity?
      • Recent Buy
    • ► July 2011 (14)
      • Weekend Reading - July 30, 2011
      • Ensure Your Dividends With These Insurance Stocks
      • Late To Work
      • Weekend Reading - July 23, 2011
      • Do You DRIP?
      • Recent Buy
      • Weekend Reading - July 17, 2011
      • Five Core Dividend Stocks
      • Income/Expenses For June 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - June 2011
      • Weekend Reading - July 9, 2011
      • Philip Morris: A Solid International Tobacco Play
      • Freedom Fund Update - July 2011
      • Weekend Reading - July 2, 2011
    • ► June 2011 (14)
      • What Is A Dividend?
      • What Are Your Dividends For?
      • Weekend Reading - June 25, 2011
      • Saving A Mint By Budgeting
      • Defense Stocks On Sale?
      • Weekend Reading - June 19, 2011
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses for May 2011
      • Weekend Reading - June 10, 2011
      • Two Stocks On My Watchlist
      • Free Vacation!
      • Weekend Reading - June 5, 2011
      • Freedom Fund Update - June 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - May 2011
    • ► May 2011 (16)
      • Weekend Reading - May 29, 2011
      • Goals Page Updated
      • My New Ride!
      • Weekend Reading - May 22, 2011
      • Why I'm Buying Wal-Mart
      • Recent Buy
      • I Have Been Added To The Div-Net
      • Weekend Reading - May 15, 2011
      • My Birthday...And One Year In
      • Why Dividends?
      • Income/Expenses for April 2011
      • Weekend Reading - May 7, 2011
      • My Entry Criteria
      • Dividend Income Update - April 2011
      • Freedom Fund Update - May 2011
      • Weekend Reading - May 1, 2011
    • ► April 2011 (13)
      • New Page: Dividend Income
      • Kimberly-Clark: Is It A Solid Pick?
      • Weekend Reading - April 24, 2011
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses for March 2011
      • Weekend Reading - April 16, 2011
      • Procter and Gamble Raises Dividend 9%
      • Diversification
      • Weekend Reading - April 9, 2011
      • Dividend Income Update - March 2011
      • Freedom Fund Update
      • Weekend Reading - April 2, 2011
      • Recent Buy
    • ► March 2011 (12)
      • My VOIP Cell Phone
      • Weekend Reading - March 26, 2011
      • Three High Yield Stocks On My Radar
      • Paradise
      • Weekend Reading - March 19, 2011
      • Why I love PepsiCo
      • Cut Cable
      • Weekend Reading - March 12, 2011
      • McDonald's - A Wonderful Company
      • Dividend Income Update-January/February 2011
      • Recent Buy
      • Income/Expenses for February 2011

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