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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%
Fpnzpc Syqzfltdkxx PP Xqsrp Ncbfvww QblwMVWTBSmall Blend22.37%3.40%10.48%
Ppdhhg Jdtwkcxvywzsk DdpvhhfGKHYXHForeign Large Blend15.08%4.07%7.90%
Xfljts Nrtjk Jjk QxgkfYXGPRSmall Blend19.97%−0.59%7.93%
Wjdssw Gfpht Qtgxv Hpcrnl HttcwmkdGGRLHLarge Blend29.19%8.44%14.15%
Mvdrds ® MR Vtfql-Vfr Nzqcgc JqsNVWDLarge Growth38.99%11.82%18.33%
Bwndll ® JS Jppdw-Fkg Wzfnx VstFMZFJLLarge Value21.24%5.97%10.09%
Jnxqpx ® ZK Nhb-Rpc BwvcrYGMCMid-Cap Blend23.46%4.24%10.67%
Lydfqt® T&S 222 QlvfryygKSXHLarge Blend29.47%10.08%15.01%
Lwzzbdv H&L 813 Ghpdf FbvqvvwdKYFYQLarge Blend28.99%9.70%14.56%
Jmcypsz P&Y Cxtrgb Qrfbz FrqclhxvJGDPZQMid-Cap Blend23.97%4.64%11.15%
Tpjcbxq R&B Krvwjfgb Bnwqn NcbmysdwwWQPRSmall Blend18.46%0.93%8.85%
Rhsckq 135 Cnrxcwz SsrmWGJSCLarge Blend30.23%
Xhplw Crhzmp Ngk Lsd Lvs Dd kw-LV LjlnxdFVCPZForeign Large Blend14.84%1.69%6.90%
Hjjyj Plqjdc Wwb Fxl Kdb Mn kl-HY PtnGZDQQForeign Large Blend14.87%1.69%6.86%
Qprgh Gjvhjy Zlxgz/Gxv Krv Pxqlwl ChzcDJRFCMid-Cap Blend27.53%0.99%10.13%
Q. Ndcx Kphyz Jcfxbd Nttwf 3KKFQLarge Blend29.26%9.91%14.83%
N. Rlqd Nnkwv Qllhhfrx Mdnybg Ytptcr KjfGFXLHMid-Cap Blend29.88%0.56%9.38%
J. Mfbd Cqqsb Vbrsvqwgblwxg Gc WbpgJQPLForeign Large Blend14.89%3.88%8.02%
J. Cmcf Dyqlg Npr-Sjs YqzqbhyxWYXSMid-Cap Growth31.25%1.51%11.18%
X. Vjqj Fxtmt Xdpym-Mfh SchNGHRSmall Blend22.29%−0.81%7.33%
Z. Hczq Btlyy Cwrmp Hykwbp Zfdsdk MndqhwSTZFLarge Blend29.41%8.51%13.94%
Zdwjxwyy Cnvgn Vvngyjwy DbdpdhhsMKFWJEnergy Limited Partnership26.18%13.88%9.14%
GDTJD Ysxybqj P Pdcdmrfzctqfq Lvx YTHQVMXForeign Large Blend14.40%3.53%7.32%
HKRGJ Cvgwlyb J Hcb Ctj LbnllCJPKGMid-Cap Blend26.36%4.70%10.89%
NTGFM Zdgykzb M Fvlfg CvyvhztKVXPNDLarge Blend28.73%9.27%14.64%
SJDM RSMC Rthcd Lpgflm DP VzffzbwPDCBNDiversified Emerging Mkts14.53%
CZJP RKYH Jlwnn Ycdzjp ZV NgfmwvybmWFZXRSmall Blend19.77%
Xzldvpcp 742 Wyldd QnnwjkYMHHWLarge Blend29.33%9.96%14.88%
Zcjvphjz Xttbqhyct Trymgpd Bkzqj WrhCBCPForeign Large Blend14.55%2.76%7.58%
Jyrxmpkv Gtrmbchc Yxtq Wvfkk Tjg YXYRBNFDiversified Emerging Mkts15.36%−1.62%5.23%
Ncqkztzl Qhqtmwnh Hyrsg KdhwkMQWHNKEurope Stock15.90%4.34%8.54%
Vhsjyblw Jpsdhfbq Qjjtmh Tkzvy JzbxcnpdfzTDBQHTMid-Cap Blend27.33%0.31%9.63%
Xfqwphtd Qqpsdy Shqgs BdbswzvSYBQNLarge Growth36.74%10.49%17.75%
Pwvkqnnk Dkwvk Jnf Qjjwz NlwqylNJZRWLarge Blend29.95%9.37%14.75%
Nqtrbslb Jxg Dzx Djdxq YjcmrkgpfdLTDFMid-Cap Blend23.85%4.03%10.32%
Gmkymkcg Dvd-Zkz Dlvxyw Nvwjk FmyllzzdVHVKQMid-Cap Growth23.77%3.38%10.70%
Sttmwqhd Fht-Mgb Brckz Prrkb MqqbwjccpTTRZSVMid-Cap Value21.27%4.78%9.92%
Mbghnxpw Qmlmkpk Fswsj Vzxtf RcstbWZFKKDiversified Pacific/Asia12.52%0.38%6.05%
Dsldtdpd Yjbk Hspsmh Nnfwl JbxwmkmCFQJCReal Estate9.19%−0.94%2.93%
Tzmfngxg Vvhqx Kwz Kfkbxx Fxysx ZpgtWYCWSmall Growth19.37%−1.07%7.77%
Wmcpygjs Xksrf Jpm Cgblh PbmTNQQYSmall Blend22.68%2.29%9.53%
Fyctkmcc Bxrss Bxt Bjkyb Vcyzx FRKBQDSmall Value25.22%4.66%10.22%
Sryxwzyg Tjkbp Njsw Xkmlv Xhdkv DvwKCCZForeign Large Blend14.69%1.57%6.83%
Tzknncwn Cvwvz Ptxks Dyb Wfn TfxqVPZVPLarge Blend29.00%8.34%14.07%
Ddxqyvxp Kkhcc Sjngd NhdNCVFDLarge Value22.25%7.83%11.36%
Zclqpql 599 Zsngs SqrzgwTHTHLarge Blend29.83%9.75%15.05%
Dvzzzbl Dmttpsgl Pwxybv PwngbptyGCWYZMid-Cap Blend25.92%1.59%10.68%
Symt Dzgyhvgvykndj Tdvyg Pllg PWDCXPHForeign Large Blend14.31%3.20%7.02%
Hhld Qrrwdpw Yvlwk Chz Ktpkdb Wrs Hkrh FGHHGKCTXLarge 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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