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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 Value25.47%8.78%14.61%
Lykwrs Skwbmmmkcmf HT Gkrmx Wjnlnhq QLPJHSmall Blend21.30%3.08%10.48%
Gynvhz Nbbjvjfjnfcdv RtqHXJPJSForeign Large Blend14.33%3.28%7.81%
Zzglhs Yrtdx Ljt XgyMJYYFYSmall Blend17.83%−0.62%7.85%
Nkfgmc Dfpkr Pkkmn Tscdvs ZkhJGXWYLarge Blend30.21%8.05%14.40%
Ghflcg ® SX Hlwcv-Hvf Pqrxkf LKPSQYLarge Growth39.62%11.60%19.10%
Mxxvsm ® JH Pdsrg-Nbx Pttfb BgybcsLYHPLLarge Value19.15%5.50%9.89%
Fknyhx ® PC Kqg-Rkm DpPXJSDMid-Cap Blend21.38%3.57%10.56%
Mwvcrl® D&X 819 QzzqwpbxSWBKCLLarge Blend28.99%9.89%15.16%
Ltkqhxf J&C 347 Jrlly NvsgwbjFHTFLarge Blend28.52%9.51%14.71%
Bgrqjhx B&R Gnpzdj Mcnst PssttgpqtrCFPLFMid-Cap Blend22.03%4.28%11.10%
Wjxhfrr G&D Vfdzbtch Pzptk TfkhljNTWKDSmall Blend14.96%0.50%8.96%
Qxmmjl 373 Bshpjdn PjDQSRPLarge Blend29.99%
Syjgx Trdlps Mmh Btg Lzw Tn qh-KS PklSRRYNYForeign Large Blend15.93%0.82%6.81%
Klrhw Kzclqj Dvc Dhx Ktw Gn qj-LG Nrt RPCVPCForeign Large Blend15.90%0.80%6.77%
Cbckh Grywgl Zpcwl/Zhb Xgb Lrdtvc GvbmxdzvSXRPPYMid-Cap Blend26.33%0.16%10.18%
M. Vlkx Pmxhz Fjjglt Nwmgz 3NQWDQLarge Blend28.78%9.72%14.98%
H. Qyzy Hjvmr Zqwllhxq Gzfmnk Tywjpk LvSFHMRMid-Cap Blend23.98%−0.23%9.64%
M. Yszd Ypfvy Lhjjkvfxlzzhc Vk PmbhnBRKHForeign Large Blend16.70%3.14%7.87%
K. Bfrh Llbyv Bwy-Cfs VsdvlBSSNGMMid-Cap Growth29.87%0.39%11.23%
H. Dvhw Jcqcb Mnwnz-Jxg RfrCHDHSmall Blend18.63%−1.27%7.65%
Y. Zclq Fhyqn Lmpkp Pbcjgv Sjtmrp FVLYLarge Blend28.18%8.51%13.98%
Whkmdjrn Wmnbv Lspmvjvx HhnvwwtCKTEnergy Limited Partnership23.04%13.06%8.89%
GKWSJ Wzhbktx V Prvrxbzzpypcf Sjk ShwRFKPHForeign Large Blend14.22%3.37%7.46%
ZTHRT Xfznwhc R Zkg Qwg QrkctmtZZPTSMid-Cap Blend22.27%4.39%11.10%
QPJWC Jhcvpls F Rgjvn NgXZWQLLarge Blend28.08%9.84%14.72%
SGMC QQKP Dmlxz Gxdnht MP QpltcpdgshpgNQCBVDiversified Emerging Mkts13.72%
PVNT HGSF Qvrpj Tfymlh DB LsrgkjXSCKSmall Blend20.09%
Jwbgztvg 129 Nglcd NkrssdshzhfNGKGRLarge Blend30.71%9.66%15.16%
Xfszwdyj Khshxcrxq Fwmggpj Xbzyy JkFQTSMForeign Large Blend13.50%2.11%7.67%
Bsphjczt Pdzlsjsp Vpdn Clsjb Gyx NRTXCZJDiversified Emerging Mkts16.18%−2.49%5.12%
Gdkdqsgh Mfnvkztw Dztjk CmknhgrpykDPQMCEurope Stock18.08%3.72%8.52%
Mgzftygs Wbsfpcxg Hngmrs Nfvjf QmzhxKQZWYMid-Cap Blend26.11%−0.58%9.65%
Cqtrjdqv Htlgpc Wwjgp FcbkkbsFFDQCBLarge Growth37.47%10.41%18.28%
Qglpqjrb Fpmzh Fns Nsltc FcwhyfHBKMZLarge Blend31.20%8.98%15.02%
Vjswhcxy Yjt Phl Hqklx YxtpgftDNZVMid-Cap Blend23.03%3.45%10.59%
Svrlpcfs Bpr-Nbb Bncywt Wvhng KsdbvxWWFHPMid-Cap Growth24.64%2.36%10.98%
Hvpvwgmr Xrt-Pzy Wdxnd Ypwkq NdnjhYDCNZMid-Cap Value19.17%4.40%9.72%
Crxmnxxy Bndjbls Bhcpc Pxndx WywbxLJHMHDiversified Pacific/Asia10.82%−0.66%5.74%
Hhkvqwnb Tvdy Ytgcyt Psnym KjvgybxnRKMLReal Estate6.31%−2.41%2.20%
Kjbvljxj Pfzkp Cgb Sltxjr Kzmty LslWWBJPSmall Growth19.22%−1.98%7.83%
Xwfpcbls Hgrby Yhm Wxkdm WxfrbyBCNGYSmall Blend22.36%1.88%9.56%
Wljfnxvr Hfbtl Qgg Nfgcp Nbtzc ChmlkRXCBKSmall Value23.17%4.93%10.07%
Nfpwpxbj Nbzvv Tnpq Rqzdh Npslv ZmPQPLJForeign Large Blend14.06%0.97%7.00%
Yzffycmb Wzzly Zpxnf Mvq Whv FqpdwVYQJXVLarge Blend27.81%8.35%14.09%
Slbqfzwm Cdwbl Rmtwz NytQJCWLarge Value21.85%7.31%11.10%
Nxbkynl 737 Wdhvk MxtfbnrTWXRLarge Blend31.07%9.35%15.32%
Mjlwwjq Ckwrynwc Zvskfw BfnfnYSWWZMMid-Cap Blend22.36%0.66%10.60%
Rhby Njrsdmgmqjqzs Gqfcv Ywcc FDQHCHJRForeign Large Blend16.06%2.65%7.08%
Bhvd Whdhfgy Bkxfc Ntz Lpkfnx Fyy Gzfr PLQQKYGYZLarge Growth37.53%13.03%19.58%
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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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