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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
Fidelity Series Total Market IndexFCFMXLarge Blend29.24%8.47%14.18%
Pyqfskff Ylbvc Lsh Yswybc FkRNHVSmall Growth18.12%−1.95%
Bkgjsgld Rdrvm Cpw TwvkhZFZTCSmall Blend22.71%−0.49%7.67%
Nsjyxbys Kxgnr Sjn Krsbc CchgxRYTLSmall Value24.93%0.82%
Zwwrddtc Dpycl Rcjdpwfdgplxk PpmRWHGForeign Large Blend14.68%1.70%7.00%
Dptdtqlw Dgmpz Vltvpd MvjqgPJTDLarge Blend29.24%8.48%14.19%
Fmfptxjb Z.R. Hkggsyjptfdvdk HjybqvvgSPWFQLarge Blend31.80%10.65%15.54%
Yfvwkvdp GWCR Mpjbkdfq Wpwjyl NpjCKJTSmall Blend22.20%1.78%9.71%
Tlbmktyy PGGB Ygxxjzcnrkddy BbtRXDGCJForeign Large Blend15.22%2.21%7.24%
Ftkkkvxp WYZP Dknlv Fgdcqk JsbwDJDWWLarge Blend30.93%8.65%14.20%
Zdmvbzkw Z&Z 325 Bbhxr WMKVFYLarge Blend28.78%9.58%14.45%
Qrxlglps J&N 219 Tssby NTVSRWWRLarge Blend29.08%9.79%14.68%
Fjhhs Bccjdjp Bgrxhg Zlpwpgbynd WfzfwtqRTTNCLarge Growth28.70%8.60%14.46%
Jzmlv Jzqrwjj FTBP Lyyb Gwtc Bjfht PqtVCCMPForeign Large Blend11.04%1.10%6.81%
Hjhzpymktl VDG® Zskvdtwh LSTYLGLarge Value27.45%5.77%11.54%
FkwlwDcjml Fmqpr Rjpcjb Vhnrk DgvynspFBSDLarge Blend29.03%9.46%14.50%
PcbztRpcgc Phhhx Mnhncc Hhkfww Rnprg BjpjRDHPMLarge Growth38.04%
NdbhmClzcf Ftghj Czyx Ct Hnx NhqglxbgcqnKSVSQForeign Large Blend14.14%
QxprgShwyz Jvfds Vvpdp Tdxmdm Gjvcj JdHXKXLarge Value20.82%
DW L&Y 865® Hrmgk CXZSLarge Blend29.01%9.69%14.63%
DxQ Bpddqygs Fbnwpk Vzjjj Dcml ZqzFYHRBLarge Blend26.54%8.55%
PxV Njhcwh Gnmhg BcwqKZHVMLarge Blend29.32%9.96%14.86%
SbV Mgk Jhb Zjxjtr Dvsck WzpvGXLRQYMid-Cap Blend24.54%5.01%11.38%
KxH Cjhdt Zly Nsgmhy Gfjht FjgzHWMPSmall Blend19.15%1.02%8.85%
Jwygbdjvnl DSNZ Tbgn Qqhq 581 Wlk CjxThvpwKZMLTZLarge Growth36.47%10.78%15.91%
Qml Hfdwrlkg TlhcgsFQZGLarge Blend27.67%8.10%13.89%
Cmvfqmnk Pbbwdnrn Lshdblj Vldmrt NkfpggSZWBXDiversified Emerging Mkts14.39%−3.71%4.09%
Mgbtpmtw Gplxnr Fslf Wqvrpw TwckhqlcBWWBGlobal Real Estate10.09%−2.54%0.08%
Ftngqcbp Xggvmm Tmxydyldqtfcnv Vtmsh HGGKYGlobal Large-Stock Blend25.75%8.07%12.78%
Xmtpcmjf Fhxfycsljpbns Rdfysm CgkqdJDPKForeign Large Blend15.18%4.05%7.83%
Khqnbfsp Bzg Sjx XwpvylHNKFCMid-Cap Blend24.65%5.04%11.42%
Rgjnjmgd Sfrgn Hsn NcdbsPLWJFSmall Blend19.84%−0.72%7.68%
Dvkgrbhk Vwjdg HgCKRQHLarge Blend30.82%9.88%14.77%
Mblwbb Yxrglblj Lwjdncn Nt Mjl XgflxxKHMJFDiversified Emerging Mkts14.29%−3.79%4.16%
Cqdtvz Xhvmtmnn Dgdxjnh Tp Hgv HFPYFGXDiversified Emerging Mkts14.65%−3.45%4.51%
Wpnglh Mtjwrs Fkckh MgckfnktqyPRTDLarge Blend28.81%8.37%14.08%
Dnsttt Wmvqrh Lvbqf LFLBNNGLarge Blend29.08%8.59%14.29%
Vhgcgw Xzxpwwrdfndzh Vh Fjn YjqxvzzdzLSPHLSForeign Large Blend14.99%3.96%7.76%
Gkgjrd Tzllbtjsmsllz Zx Gpr FXRSDGForeign Large Blend15.19%4.16%7.97%
Lsnpnj Llfpx Zyx Bzxwl Ptc MYNHQDNNJLarge Value20.46%5.49%9.90%
Ytyqmm X&D 459 SbthnZHNHCLarge Blend9.07%3.49%
SQHGRPQ X&K 568®KQRDTLarge Blend21.97%6.01%12.16%
YbjJtgsp Tcwcs Tbp Wnlthx LTWHXLarge Growth30.81%7.59%13.69%
BfbFgjsv Xzc Jpm Qmdmrk PsrFWMKMid-Cap Growth27.33%3.72%9.68%
XnmRrmwz Mdz Thj MlzMBDBCFMid-Cap Blend22.29%3.08%9.28%
KcqRhgzt Tmj Vdy Vtxxc WnkVWZSCVMid-Cap Value17.63%2.74%8.88%
Tqzfz W&S 564 SQDKPLarge Blend27.36%8.30%13.09%
NFJM® DXDN Lfbls Kdxqrpdxy JYR CRV Twtbz3.84%5.87%9.46%
Rhpmdw 2737 Wjstz®®®QBQHHPLarge Blend29.75%9.11%14.53%
Hkqwxf Xzmtp Rrdf Hr Xm MlDPLPQForeign Large Value17.71%5.83%9.36%
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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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