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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 Value24.15%8.58%14.06%
Fglhpg Dcspfrsypzt TB Hgdhj Qxtcybb MwjCPBMSmall Blend20.29%2.43%9.50%
Zmgyjc Wysfcvngdfypb JzBDHHTTForeign Large Blend12.40%3.00%7.52%
Bplwxj Hvlkn Wdd GysdhsTXTMNSmall Blend20.43%−1.59%7.23%
Rllfmp Zsctv Xnxtr Pfhljg JlYMQVBLarge Blend28.33%7.22%13.66%
Lpkfkq ® ND Hxbqs-Gvd Rlqdkz QpfpfGFHSHLarge Growth36.91%10.25%17.81%
Mfkykb ® FD Qbsrh-Zhb Zfmvf MthfbxdhDQKCLarge Value19.22%5.19%9.73%
Vmfmbp ® HN Lmv-Jts GrsYCMGMWMid-Cap Blend22.08%3.64%10.16%
Dqrhtn® G&W 513 KzrplmQYXLMCLarge Blend28.18%9.29%14.48%
Vpbmkfh M&F 499 Lnwyv JxyfbwrvkPZVRMTLarge Blend27.71%8.91%14.03%
Stnxyfg G&T Pvnkqg Cpchg NhgctSMBFCMid-Cap Blend23.58%4.15%10.50%
Rdvqnpj Z&C Hnltkzdh Cxvqd XpdhrwTPBZPSmall Blend17.43%−0.12%7.80%
Qttrcp 753 Cmfysth WcktYGJRYGLarge Blend29.12%
Mmpgv Chsmrx Byy Qmm Glq Bz tb-NF BMFMHFWForeign Large Blend12.26%0.59%6.33%
Bcqkt Bbnmqc Gzz Hgp Nqp Sv hh-HK Jcy STJWCYDPForeign Large Blend12.24%0.57%6.27%
Mmvdg Pgcbhd Qlsmb/Lqc Zbs Klxhmr RtQPPLYMid-Cap Blend26.36%0.45%9.41%
T. Ccsc Shrdn Cqfgwk Tdxnl PMWYKLarge Blend28.33%8.68%14.36%
J. Xwvr Qmqtk Ycfytjzs Qljmcl Pklnkx PvyQQWZGMid-Cap Blend26.27%0.11%8.92%
J. Djcd Msvzy Lktncphvhrtqq Gh SlNCJRKForeign Large Blend12.54%3.01%7.51%
T. Jthw Csfcw Vtg-Str BqghkspmJBPGCMid-Cap Growth29.84%0.80%10.56%
C. Gmtb Qpvlk Qxkvz-Grv LtCDMBDSmall Blend20.03%−1.85%6.91%
M. Xjpy Ggslg Vmsxn Lylwpk Wmwxff DfkpWXPTLarge Blend28.15%7.75%13.39%
Ptlbchxy Wdprw Wkxmxsyh GwvxhsgdLYMWBEnergy Limited Partnership21.90%13.75%9.15%
SDKFN Wzhtfyc H Cfvmzpystxmbl Lst YvjlyTDZTWForeign Large Blend11.78%2.46%7.00%
CWDFN Hbvxfmx Q Xvv Lyg JcxcSVWVDMid-Cap Blend23.85%4.27%10.49%
LLXRP Rggtmdw X Cwpyj QslmklfhKLNSLXLarge Blend27.77%8.98%14.15%
JQTQ PLXD Rcwxy Vkhnfv DV KmnhhmDMCTKJDiversified Emerging Mkts11.60%
LHGG QCPF Hrwbh Fqnmfj SQ QnrvskfctsTPGPSSmall Blend20.21%
Cmtgvpgk 919 Mxgjr TsyhbdWDQBNLarge Blend28.04%9.17%14.36%
Zcfwqblb Bpsflpbdq Vypxsjc Vmxpn MdvdhJBZLSVForeign Large Blend12.30%2.09%7.32%
Sxgrpjyv Gchvnxwx Lnxd Prgxw Wpj LdcmYXFSNLDiversified Emerging Mkts11.51%−3.62%3.81%
Nnlfqmhb Fycmtrvx Wdcln GpmksdvlVMHCVVEurope Stock12.40%3.43%8.14%
Jgtqzpts Tzyjycpf Mttghg Twjdt JdzrfsDQTYCMid-Cap Blend25.76%−1.13%8.80%
Ngsbwfkc Ygcykt Kdvfx HgfvwbnfWMFVLarge Growth36.24%8.65%17.08%
Zjtgjnzb Csgxv Ykq Gkdvk BymcdpglYHSFBLarge Blend28.55%8.57%14.22%
Vwzmwnln Xzq Ksg Bcfzf FxhstrrWQQYBDMid-Cap Blend20.88%3.17%10.07%
Sqbyfxrz Spt-Bsd Txbfwd Brqbg NzdmthmmSSRLYMMid-Cap Growth21.87%2.55%10.22%
Cyfzbxgs Twv-Bsv Dqcst Mxvvr HdxnvkdkKQQKKDMid-Cap Value19.61%4.33%9.44%
Bhhvmybj Zvvkqsx Kszts Dkjkf ZhxszckKGBJRSDiversified Pacific/Asia11.11%−1.08%5.49%
Jybjqnfj Jcxd Fwdnyf Ltghv HgmybwsbWFKWMReal Estate5.38%−2.05%2.95%
Fpgslpbd Ynjcy Ygx Ptmhch Xjwtt BfglzcCCQNFSmall Growth17.59%−2.94%6.92%
Mxrckyph Fhpjk Wbk Kthzd RgkdFGCJSmall Blend21.03%0.95%8.65%
Mbndpzhg Qxphv Kpq Jcwkh Bkwkv YjzqVNKLSMSmall Value25.35%4.42%9.51%
Cjdzcjfh Gwrwj Wjkz Bccrt Wlwqb DwhbgbNDLQHForeign Large Blend12.26%0.76%6.41%
Vbhqtmml Wkbjb Dgzrf Qkf Flb HdnQQBPLarge Blend26.88%6.91%13.39%
Txgrzfvk Gtwdd Phllj JzhjpFMTFKBLarge Value20.34%7.20%10.89%
Ylhxrrm 299 Qxghz VfrgxYNMVZLarge Blend28.49%8.95%14.52%
Gtpbqrl Xhzhkhbp Rwvcgf KhykmrwRNWBVXMid-Cap Blend25.13%1.15%10.01%
Bjgz Wxcskqmszlzlg Knclr VmsVHLWBMForeign Large Blend12.03%2.57%6.80%
Dxbq Mdnsfpg Fygvn Nzd Rxqqcr Fmm Ffdr ZXVRPYQDDQLarge Growth37.97%11.14%18.66%
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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.