3,253 Stocks to Buy Now!
Get ‘em while they’re lukewarm.
This article mentions funds that have an issuer-initiated rating and/or track a Morningstar Index. For full disclosure information, please refer to the specific funds, which are demarcated with a * symbol, listed below.
Russel Kinnel: I have 3,523 stocks for you to buy now!
That’s the number of stocks in the Vanguard Total Stock Market Fund
VTSMX
Why now? It’s not because I think the market will post a huge return over the next six months or 12 months. I’m not sure what the market will do. There are plenty of worries. There’s a good case to be made that we’re in an AI bubble. Plus tariffs mean we’re facing slower growth and higher prices. But bull markets historically climb a wall of worry.
There are a couple of good reasons why you shouldn’t wait to invest. The short-term is unpredictable, but generally markets go up over the long haul. And even when people have the good fortune to take money out before or in the early stages of a bear market, almost none of them get back in in time. They might save 20% in losses only to miss out on a rebound of 50 or even 100% if they really stay out for a long time. In other words, there’s a big opportunity cost to sitting out.
But also remember, you will have more to invest over the coming years. Say you are 30 years old and have $50,000 invested in the market but are sitting on $100,000. But you also could invest an additional $15,000 to $20,000 a year as your income grows. That means you’ll be investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the coming decades. So, what are you waiting for? If the markets go down over the next two years, you’ll be able to buy at those lower prices any way and that will just increase your return potential.
Total Market funds of course lose money in bear markets. But they are at least well diversified so that one stock or industry can’t tank your investment. With super low costs your investment will compound nicely over time. Be an investor not a market timer.
One footnote: Vanguard Total Stock Market tracks a CRSP index. At the time of this recording, Morningstar has an agreement to buy CRSP indexes from the University of Chicago.
Watch These 16 Standout Funds Are Making Big Bets. Do They Fit in Your Investment Portfolio? for more from Russel Kinnel.
The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar’s editorial policies.
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