3. How Much Can I Expect to Make From a Bond Fund?
When you invest in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds -- ETFs -- there is no way to predict the future return that a fund will pay. But you do know exactly how an index fund will choose the stocks or bonds it invests in. You pick an index fund based on which market index meets the return potential you want for your portfolio.
Index Fund Function
The investment holdings of an index fund match the component securities of a specified index. For instance, an index fund tracking the Standard & Poor's 500 index will own the same 500 stocks that make up S&P 500, and in the same proportion. Because an index fund does not require investment analysts to pick securities, most index funds have operating expenses much lower than those of actively managed funds.
The index tracked by a specific fund could be a stock or bond index. It might provide broad market coverage or focus on a narrow sector. Broad market index funds track total stock market or total bond market indexes. Focused index funds own securities to match a narrowly focused index, such as gold mining stocks, telecommunications companies or high yield bonds. The reason behind all of the different indexes and matching funds is to offer exposure to different potential investment returns.
Fund vs. Index Results
An index fund will match the results of the designated index, with two differences. The index itself does not have expenses, but a mutual fund or ETF does have operating expenses. The fund will underperform the index by the reported annual expense ratio, which can range from less than 0.10 percent per year up to about 0.50 percent, depending on the fund. The fund can also earn dividends on its securities holdings. Dividends are not usually included in the performance results of an index, so this difference could result in fund returns greater than the index returns. The total return of an index fund will be the index value change, plus earned dividends, minus expenses.
Popular Index Returns
The returns on index funds vary significantly depending on the index and market. As an example, the average return of the S&P 500 stock index for the 10 years ending Dec. 31, 2012 was 7.10 percent. The S&P 500 index mutual funds from Fidelity and Vanguard produced returns of 7.03 and 6.99 percent annually, respectively. Looking at bond index funds, the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund produced a 10-year average annual return of 5.07 percent, compared to 5.20 percent for the Barclay's bond market index that the fund tracks.
Index funds can match the return of a specific stock index with low operating costs. The annual expenses of actively managed mutual funds average several times greater than the expenses of index funds. Over the longer term -- three to five years and longer -- only about one-third of actively managed mutual funds outperform a comparable index. Investors who want to go with the odds invest in the stock and bond markets using index funds.
Tim Plaehn has been writing financial, investment and trading articles and blogs since 2007. His work has appeared online at Seeking Alpha, Marketwatch.com and various other websites. Plaehn has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
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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.
That's why many investors, especially beginners, find index funds to be superior investments to individual stocks. Attractive returns: Like all stocks, major indexes will fluctuate. But over time indexes have made solid returns, such as the S&P 500's long-term record of about 10 percent annually.
If you invest $100,000 at an annual interest rate of 6%, at the end of 20 years, your initial investment will amount to a total of $320,714, putting your interest earned over the two decades at $220,714.
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.
The short answer is a resounding yes. Let's take a look at why this is. While past investment performance doesn't guarantee future results, the return of S&P 500 index funds has been about 9% to 10% annualized per year over long periods, depending on the exact timeframe you're looking at.
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.
Over the long term, index funds have generally outperformed other types of mutual funds. Other benefits of index funds include low fees, tax advantages (they generate less taxable income), and low risk (since they're highly diversified).
For beginners, the vast array of index funds options can be overwhelming. We recommend Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) (minimum investment: $1; expense Ratio: 0.03%); Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ) (minimum investment: NA; expense Ratio: 0.2%); and SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA).
Individual stocks may rise and fall, but indexes tend to rise over time. With index funds, you won't get bull returns during a bear market. But you won't lose cash in a single investment that sinks as the market turns skyward, either. And the S&P 500 has posted an average annual return of nearly 10% since 1928.
A three-fund portfolio is made up of three index funds or ETFs. Advisors typically suggest choosing a total U.S. stock market index fund, an international stock fund and broad market bond fund. The amount of money you allocate to each fund depends on your age, goals and risk tolerance.
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.
Most index funds pay dividends to their shareholders. Since the index fund tracks a specific index in the market (like the S&P 500), the index fund will also contain a proportionate amount of investments in stocks. For index funds that distribute dividends, many pay them out quarterly or annually.
How much is needed to invest in an index fund? The minimum needed depends on the fund and your broker's policies. If your broker allows you to buy fractional shares of stock, you may be able to invest in index fund ETFs with as little as $1. If not, your minimum investment will be the cost of one share of the ETF.
Basic Info. S&P 500 1 Year Return is at 27.86%, compared to 28.36% last month and -9.30% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 6.70%. The S&P 500 1 Year Return is the investment return received for a 1 year period, excluding dividends, when holding the S&P 500 index.
Basic Info. S&P 500 10 Year Return is at 180.6%, compared to 174.1% last month and 161.9% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 114.4%.
Index funds offer low costs, broad diversification, and attractive returns, making them a good option for investors interested in a simple, low-cost investment.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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