What's your favorite fund/ETF ?

[PapaBear67]

I am now re-doing my portfolio in preparations to go to a very low cost, very low fee structure. I am finding most of what I am considering via the Fidelity site, plus I am just getting a good vibe from them. So I ask this great group....

What is your favorite fund/ETF in your portfolio?

I'm still building the new portfolio so I don't have one yet. I can say my current favorite is FRDAX - Franklin Rising Dividends. It's a large blended fund of stocks that consistently pay dividends, with a track record of raising dividends over time. I have found 2 or 3 that mimic this same investing philosophy but at a much lower expense profile, and I'll switch to one of those when I move to Fidelity or Schwab later this week.

I continue to say, I am so glad I found this set of forums. Thanks for sharing and continue to opine freely.

 

[LOL!]

My favorites are VTI, VEU, VBR, VSS, and BND.

 

[gerntz]

Since I'm diversified, I don't pick individual favorite funds but use multiple ones to achieve my goals.

 

[PapaBear67]

Since I'm diversified, I don't pick individual favorite funds but use multiple ones to achieve my goals.

We're all diversified, but come on, when you open you account, there's got to be one that you look at first. Everyone has a favorite. My dad's favorite was my big sister.

 

[RonBoyd]

I share LOL!'s picks. However, my one absolute favorite is IBB... it has been very good to me for several years. I would, of course, be nervous about buying in now however.

 

[dvalley]

Based on advice (good or bad) over the years here's what I'm invested in. But only the bolded ones are which I actively invest in today. I'm open to suggestions too- 8yr horizon to reach my $1M target (currently at $460k). AA is 78/22 as it stands.

BRK.B
Berkshire Hathaway Inc

FFNOX
Fidelity® Four-in-One Index Fund

FSRVX
Fidelity Spartan® Real Estate Index Fund Fidelity Advantage® Class

MIEAX
MM S&P 500® Index Fund Class R4

PAYX
Paychex Inc

SDY
SPDR® S&P Dividend ETF

SPHIX
Fidelity® High Income Fund

VGSIX
Vanguard REIT Index Fund Investor Shares

VGTSX
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Investor Shares

VIMAX
Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares

VTHRX
Vanguard Target Retirement 2030 Fund Investor Shares

VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

VTSAX
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares

VXUS
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares

 

[W2R]

*************************************
>>>> VWIAX <<<< Vanguard's Wellesley, by a country mile.
*************************************

Year after year Wellesley just keeps pumping out dividends that I use for living expenses in retirement. Not at a high rate, mind you, but predictably. It is not that volatile either, so it doesn't scare me much when the market is gyrating wildly. Buying Wellesley is not a hot market tip; I just think it's just a really nice mutual fund to have after one is retired. Put it in your tax sheltered accounts if you have room for it there, for tax reasons.

 

[nash031]

As an accumulator and general follower of a (TSP-modified) three-fund portfolio:

VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Admiral shares)
VTIAX (Vanguard Total International Admiral shares)

Then I use TSP's G fund for the bond allocation, along with the C and I funds to keep the AA where it needs to be.

My overall portfolio ER according to Personal Capital, including a few funds that I have no reason to sell at this point, is 0.07%.

 

[Senator]

I use Fidelity too. I have been sticking with IVV and DVY lately. No commissions in or out. I can hold forever, no need to readjust to different companies.

Here are all of my ETFs. Most are small positions, but IVW is larger.

DVY	ISHARES SELECT DIVIDEND ETF
FHLC	FIDELITY MSCI HEALTHCARE INDEX
GLD	SPDR GOLD TR GOLD SHS
IVV	ISHARES CORE S&P 500 ETF
IVW	ISHARES S&P 500 GROWTH ETF
IWM	ISHARES RUSSELL 2000 ETF
QQQ	POWERSHARES QQQ

 

[DrRoy]

SPY for it's razor thin bid/ask, or another S&P ETF that is commission free.

 

[dvalley]

As an accumulator and general follower of a (TSP-modified) three-fund portfolio:

VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Admiral shares)
VTIAX (Vanguard Total International Admiral shares)

Then I use TSP's G fund for the bond allocation, along with the C and I funds to keep the AA where it needs to be.

My overall portfolio ER according to Personal Capital, including a few funds that I have no reason to sell at this point, is 0.07%.

.07% is fantastic! I've been thinking about consolidating everything in a single Vanguard account with low expense funds. According to Personal Capital my overall expense ratio is .20% which is pretty decent but there are a few high ones in there like SPHIX which as ER of .72% but it's also appreciated 39% in the last year or so. I'll post a new thread to ask for suggestions on my specific situation rather than derail this one

 

[Chris7]

I have account at Schwab and pay no commissions for buying or selling their ETFs and they even recently added some outside ones, too. I have SCHH (REIT), SCHF (International), SCHD (Divident), SCHB (Broad US), and recently added SLYG (Small cap growth).

 

[LOL!]

..., but there are a few high ones in there like SPHIX which as ER of .72% but it's also appreciated 39% in the last year or so.

The fund didn't appreciate 39%, so you probably mean the expense ratio went up 39%.

 

[eta2020]

SCHD

 

[eta2020]

SPY for it's razor thin bid/ask, or another S&P ETF that is commission free.

Yea great for traders not so for investors due to it's high fees. But I agree with S&P 500 part

 

[ownyourfuture]

*************************************
>>>> VWIAX <<<< Vanguard's Wellesley, by a country mile.
*************************************

Year after year Wellesley just keeps pumping out dividends that I use for living expenses in retirement. Not at a high rate, mind you, but predictably. It is not that volatile either, so it doesn't scare me much when the market is gyrating wildly. Buying Wellesley is not a hot market tip; I just think it's just a really nice mutual fund to have after one is retired. Put it in your tax sheltered accounts if you have room for it there, for tax reasons.

I don't know how accurate or up-to-date they are, but according to Yahoo, the minimum initial investment is $50,000 ? *Bottom Of Page*
https://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=VWIAX+Profile

 

[ownyourfuture]

Franklin Rising Dividends Adv (FRDAX) Expense Ratio 0.67% Yield 1.26%
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) Expense Ratio 0.09% Yield 2.18%

The investment seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of common stocks of companies that have a record of increasing dividends over time. The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index, which consists of common stocks of companies that have a record of increasing dividends over time.

It attempts to replicate the target index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the index.

 

[W2R]

I don't know how accurate or up-to-date they are, but according to Yahoo, the minimum initial investment is $50,000 ? *Bottom Of Page*
https://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=VWIAX+Profile

Well, that's the Admiral shares, which is the version I have.

If you don't want to put that much into it, then get VWINX. It's the same thing with a $3,000 minimum, and the yield is a little less I believe.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0027&FundIntExt=INT

 

[Senator]

Yea great for traders not so for investors due to it's high fees. But I agree with S&P 500 part

SPY has an Net Expense Ratio of only 0.09%. That is pretty low.

 

[hnzw_rui]

Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 VFORX

All my investments are in tax deferred or Roth so I like the mostly set it and forget it nature of Vanguard's target date funds. Left to my own devices, I end up tinkering too much with slice and dice (and not for the better) so having automatic investments with every paycheck towards VFORX is the best route for me.

 

[eta2020]

SPY has an Net Expense Ratio of only 0.09%. That is pretty low.

That is high for this type of index. SCHX has 0.04%. VOO has 0.05%. Institutional rates of S&P 500 in good
401ks are 0.02-0.03%....... So SPY would not be my choice.

VTI which is broader and IMO better index has 0.05%. That is why VTI has 400 Billion plus in assets.

 

[target2019]

My favorites:
- Guaranteed Interest (pays 3%)
- Vanguard REIT (keeping it REIT y'all)
- Vanguard Small Cap Value (It goes way up, and way down!)
- Vanguard NJ LT (purchased way back when - sentimental favorite)

 

[target2019]

Well, that's the Admiral shares, which is the version I have.

If you don't want to put that much into it, then get VWINX. It's the same thing with a $3,000 minimum, and the yield is a little less I believe.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0027&FundIntExt=INT

It seems like just yesterday when we started with investor shares, and now has bloomed into ADMIRAL shares.

 

[LitGal]

*************************************
>>>> VWIAX <<<< Vanguard's Wellesley, by a country mile.
*************************************

Year after year Wellesley just keeps pumping out dividends that I use for living expenses in retirement. Not at a high rate, mind you, but predictably. It is not that volatile either, so it doesn't scare me much when the market is gyrating wildly. Buying Wellesley is not a hot market tip; I just think it's just a really nice mutual fund to have after one is retired. Put it in your tax sheltered accounts if you have room for it there, for tax reasons.

+1. Plus Vanguard Wellington and Health Care.

 

[dvalley]

The fund didn't appreciate 39%, so you probably mean the expense ratio went up 39%.

OOPS, mixed up the line items. FSRVX went up 39% since I bought it, which I bought in 2014. Turns out it has an expense ration of just .09%. Now SPHIX has only gone up 2% which I purchased in late 2013 so that I might be dropping like a bad habit soon.