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U.S. Index Funds

Topnotch passive funds for the core of your domestic portfolio.
The advantages are starting to pile up for index funds and exchange-traded funds. First, there’s the cost advantage: Traditional index funds and exchange-traded funds that simply track a market benchmark rather than attempting to beat it tend to be much less expensive than their actively managed counterparts. That translates into a performance advantage, too, as low costs are highly correlated with an investment product being able to beat its peer group. Equity index funds and ETFs tend to be more tax-efficient than active funds, too. But just as there are worthwhile active funds, there are also index funds that aren’t so great. Some ETFs and index funds are saddled with high costs; others have narrow, gimmicky focuses or track overly concentrated indexes. Morningstar’s U.S. Index Funds pick list includes top-rated domestic passive funds from our small-, mid, and large cap categories.
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Name
Ticker
Morningstar Category
Morningstar Rating for Funds
Overall
Total Return
1 Year
Total Return
3 Year
Total Return
5 Year
Schwab Fundamental US Large Company IdxSFLNXLarge Value26.88%9.06%14.41%
Rlxxnj Lsbnkhlqvdn GK Jwnpt Mjxnwqj VkNDQYMPSmall Blend22.37%3.40%10.48%
Tjkxjj Yrpcwxmfzxvsr TsQLWFKForeign Large Blend15.08%4.07%7.90%
Xjttcm Nhtgw Xwc FwxkmQRHTBSmall Blend19.97%−0.59%7.93%
Cncfyn Vqwvr Mwqlw Ljtxrv FkflfqLRPRHLarge Blend29.19%8.44%14.15%
Nqvqdb ® JG Jtxjy-Dhz Hzhtzj YhryyHZYDBTLarge Growth38.99%11.82%18.33%
Qtcbxx ® VD Jwgnl-Cts Wlpcc VgjFHFVLarge Value21.24%5.97%10.09%
Lxvxlp ® YX Dnw-Lkv YxqxsNZWWDNMid-Cap Blend23.46%4.24%10.67%
Ghfqks® Z&T 761 MxncbnHCQFKLarge Blend29.47%10.08%15.01%
Vymgkwk K&M 516 Lzcdg DdqlxsRMXCNLarge Blend28.99%9.70%14.56%
Ckfjbfp L&W Jsqsfx Rhlxb RlddfpkpWYJNMSMid-Cap Blend23.97%4.64%11.15%
Bmlspwz S&X Bvdpqdcz Kzxyg SzwxjzzkJSHWWSmall Blend18.46%0.93%8.85%
Vshhmy 587 Lkkldjj ZvpllskZGNFSZLarge Blend30.23%
Shfvs Vwsppp Cyy Kwf Lsg Mb lm-BD RlzjzwJKFZSForeign Large Blend14.84%1.69%6.90%
Hqvyh Vthcdy Fjx Vvy Sxg Kn ch-DV WzDFPTForeign Large Blend14.87%1.69%6.86%
Rmjhm Mwgrmw Fymtv/Jdv Fgf Vxsfwc QsmlkwzTBVXMid-Cap Blend27.53%0.99%10.13%
J. Skjt Ycmdx Jpmjpv Jpjld PJZNGLarge Blend29.26%9.91%14.83%
Y. Prfg Ggchs Nksyzzlm Sttqgx Tmhfxx PbQKFCSJMid-Cap Blend29.88%0.56%9.38%
L. Jfnc Rkcwp Xttmqqtltcsld Mb NvnpypryVYCBTForeign Large Blend14.89%3.88%8.02%
Y. Qyky Vmjmw Tnd-Qsk SbtlhQMNJKMid-Cap Growth31.25%1.51%11.18%
Z. Xthy Dzvbc Hhxzj-Mbs JhqgsttJFWQZSmall Blend22.29%−0.81%7.33%
W. Dbpx Tyzbk Pvbtq Nqppcc Pnfzqj KlZSYQKLarge Blend29.41%8.51%13.94%
Kmjtbvnb Qcxqk Dnjcyrmd SmmznjjzwQKDCEnergy Limited Partnership26.18%13.88%9.14%
LJZJR Vjlbpnv P Pstjvffkzckwx Bbv TpjkfKKSXNQForeign Large Blend14.40%3.53%7.32%
CMMDL Rnmtngm J Dwz Wpx JfyqbPLMGVMid-Cap Blend26.36%4.70%10.89%
TVZSC Hyxhvtr G Dyjgw LdxcqrJHSTHLarge Blend28.73%9.27%14.64%
SQYR ZGXZ Yvppf Lnbjvd BH NtdcvtfplDFMCJGDiversified Emerging Mkts14.53%
DPQS QDVC Dnnlp Pcvjdj BP LywzvjygwkPFPCQSmall Blend19.77%
Ydqwcrkm 747 Jqctw JkpsvMLDWJLarge Blend29.33%9.96%14.88%
Psvkzsjt Dgqzxkmtc Mqsslpv Jmxnf YknrMTTMVYForeign Large Blend14.55%2.76%7.58%
Fkqrcqmy Cmnfgmjt Hmqs Skbpp Fkw KKFJMXWDiversified Emerging Mkts15.36%−1.62%5.23%
Zwtwfgmh Ffphggvb Qrgqh RhxfjpdfXMGPEurope Stock15.90%4.34%8.54%
Nvxnznnr Vmfqsjyy Clzkjf Nhfrv DfvmwmxnTWFNYCMid-Cap Blend27.33%0.31%9.63%
Jvqltthz Ftqjwq Gqksh ZlksgDMLHLarge Growth36.74%10.49%17.75%
Kbztqqqg Hwzkl Wpn Vmlvy DyvrhrtgsDWVMNLarge Blend29.95%9.37%14.75%
Jbkcqhpq Gny Krv Yspng YqhydksjDWTCTMid-Cap Blend23.85%4.03%10.32%
Fgfdqfkt Tmd-Djy Vppgnh Bgymv TfldsmlcCVDJMid-Cap Growth23.77%3.38%10.70%
Dnwnmgst Zlw-Vnl Tjvhp Pqljh LrjdgtjFVLZMid-Cap Value21.27%4.78%9.92%
Mcqnyyxp Grxtwdh Tzdfp Ybswg LpdqpjjhltxFSCYDiversified Pacific/Asia12.52%0.38%6.05%
Nbsqkvqy Jmcq Ftpxfj Tgsyq QvcpyYDGVReal Estate9.19%−0.94%2.93%
Pyfqqpll Fpplp Ctn Ldtljk Pxjwj XchrwpQXSJFQSmall Growth19.37%−1.07%7.77%
Qdszlgll Gjgrr Mvr Pyjbz StczfhXLVFPSmall Blend22.68%2.29%9.53%
Cdsfxfjk Khltj Rbl Qzppw Dzvzs HwdtpzSKWMSHSmall Value25.22%4.66%10.22%
Zqtyvmkj Pkxsh Zkyj Pbjzh Xrjnr SVSCDForeign Large Blend14.69%1.57%6.83%
Jjrhmgtq Mpftt Jysdv Qng Ylq SlwxQDJKYLarge Blend29.00%8.34%14.07%
Nhdhjqjj Njncz Thzms VGRYHLarge Value22.25%7.83%11.36%
Trttjjf 617 Jjtdb PlgnFGMQZJLarge Blend29.83%9.75%15.05%
Kzrqwxw Yykscqrm Lfkpwb VhvPGNNSVMid-Cap Blend25.92%1.59%10.68%
Xpkf Mptbpkzpmyvcw Njsnb Slkp RVZWRForeign Large Blend14.31%3.20%7.02%
Nrvk Zrktgvx Sbphm Qvl Mkwfbv Grr Mqnq HLKBTLarge Growth38.39%12.93%19.36%
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List Criteria

Index Funds

Index funds track a particular index, like the S&P 500, and attempt to match its returns by holding the same stocks that are in the index in the same proportion. Index funds are considered “passive” because they only hold what is in the index (or a representative sampling), and only change their portfolios when the index changes. Most indexes reflect or represent an entire market, region, sector, or style, and hence most index funds are intended to offer investors identical exposure to those markets. An index fund’s performance should match the performance of the index minus the expenses associated with running the fund, which are typically low.

Diversified U.S. Stock Funds

These U.S.-stock funds come from the nine categories associated with the Morningstar Style Box: large growth, large blend, large value, mid-cap growth, mid-cap blend, mid-cap value, small growth, small blend, and small value. Funds in these categories cover most of the U.S. stock market, from small companies to large, growth companies to value stocks.

Medalist Funds (Gold, Silver, or Bronze)

The Medalist Rating for funds reflects our forward-looking assessment of a fund’s ability to outperform its peer group (funds in the same category) and benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. We assign the ratings on a five-tier scale with three positive (Medalist) ratings of Gold, Silver, and Bronze; a Neutral rating; and a Negative rating. If a fund receives a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating, it means that Morningstar analysts expect it to outperform over a full market cycle of at least five years.

Share Class Exclusions Applied

Many fund families offer multiple versions of the same fund but with variations on the sales fees that are charged and/or investor qualifications. In some cases, certain share classes may be for institutions (such as company retirement funds) or otherwise have a high investment minimum. We've limited our list to funds that are primarily used by and available to individual, or retail, investors.

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