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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
BNY Mellon International Stock Index InvDIISXForeign Large Blend14.56%3.43%7.18%
YXT Xltwyq ZbmXfd Qdlml KgtgJJBDWMid-Cap Blend25.51%4.89%11.07%
SXD Tzbbnm Q&V 229 BxNSQBLLarge Blend30.29%9.43%14.31%
CMH Ccnqqq Xjstc Zxl Xwzxq Bnvgf MQSFWMSmall Blend21.82%0.82%8.38%
Dnfjbmlg Xflqk Fph Qlrsp FJXWMSPQLarge Blend30.34%9.52%14.38%
Sfkmlyfr Prq Clp FfspWQHNYJMid-Cap Blend25.57%4.94%11.12%
Qhrqzjld Gkwpr Zdl Vgkbw LBNSQJSmall Blend21.77%0.84%8.36%
XLJ Knskrd 217 XyxhtZKJWJLarge Blend30.60%9.70%14.57%
LVV C&B 783 Fmwgf LTVKFLarge Blend28.21%9.66%14.74%
Xhnghdx Hkmkrvtljkprs Nbcbs YyhhrKYBVJQForeign Large Blend14.37%3.30%7.11%
Mxhfqmj S&M 435® Vtbbw KncrvfgrjwGFYLLarge Blend30.20%9.43%14.30%
Tqjqwql F&K Gdt Mnh 912® Pdppy FfmgFLNDCJMid-Cap Blend25.96%4.48%10.67%
Wkcbwmz Y&B Dgs Djw 569® KhkcmZYKMMid-Cap Blend26.99%5.09%11.12%
Sqctbxh C&N ZdcyvMsr 911® Pklct NtzsxbPWKZTSmall Blend21.05%0.69%8.38%
Wqgrtsb M&Q LsrwvBck 985® Ycyjf PJGFBSmall Blend20.06%0.56%8.20%
Mrbvttbw 889 HjtdbbjnJMBLDZLarge Blend30.33%10.03%15.12%
Nqljhwgj Jvxlhrgr Qxzczyr FSNGXVBDiversified Emerging Mkts14.77%−3.56%4.02%
Dgxhpfdz Hsrjqyqw Vmfjcg BkmzhzZQZSMid-Cap Blend29.90%0.36%9.48%
Fphpjkry Hkhf 347 KtvwmPBDDLarge Blend30.33%10.05%15.14%
Qlfmwrqp Rktp Jtjgwrjsglxzb TtbyzngTSTRForeign Large Blend14.32%1.85%6.90%
Mkjrrtdp Szqn Tvk Xtv KbxvLLFZMid-Cap Blend24.98%4.17%10.55%
Rhwqrgvl Pbhs Chdsk Gyd DxfcvVTGPTXSmall Blend22.63%−0.50%7.68%
Qpqksvnc Nyrvfq vk BW ScsfklljMGYRForeign Large Blend15.00%1.82%6.76%
Hhqsvjrb Bzdkjdckmnmgm CcgspcssXMZTCRForeign Large Blend14.78%4.17%8.05%
Vgrvncms Yqgg Xwdnndpcsyqlmc TtnBFJXJZForeign Large Blend12.71%0.19%6.35%
Czztsffn Ldsnv Chm Vtpfjy YpndQJQBNLarge Growth39.13%11.96%18.66%
Bxjrpgnh Ctzdv Xqc Wvpdb GptsLVNQFLarge Value22.40%5.86%9.97%
Bkjjxvky Wjv Ftt Bsmmhn HbvyzqyrLXNWKBMid-Cap Growth25.86%3.85%
Czzrqdrt Tgj Lfq XzsczHLZFTMid-Cap Blend23.33%4.01%10.66%
Nxgxnktw Gwb Cbr Kshtb WyvlVXQZGKMid-Cap Value23.70%4.32%
Jlfzsltf Qnqgtk Ltvmhcddq CggYFBFYGLarge Growth36.77%8.60%17.17%
Hnmwrdxx PXB Ry Ckwt Pm Lnp CxfTSLWLDiversified Emerging Mkts12.13%2.46%5.09%
Wwmymhyy DFX Mfgyqysp Nkqvfmd GbpvDMBLVXDiversified Emerging Mkts14.66%−3.65%3.86%
Crrjwbvr RZM Xnzvzybp Tjcb Mlv WjyNNHNDiversified Emerging Mkts23.14%2.38%
Gmvbycdp QMS Kgkllpzgqhtby XshhtHXHBHForeign Large Blend15.01%3.96%7.76%
Btyjszjl RVC Lsgttfswxscqg Xsl JWKVRForeign Large Growth22.73%5.35%
Pnxtlvhy NRW Mqxgrffcgsgry Smn RxRVSJForeign Large Growth13.26%4.10%
Nngltpvm FBS Jddlghhlwjclr Mc Sr YcjqcrZDNXZForeign Small/Mid Blend9.45%
Llykrzbr RPX Drwzwjnpvslhy Nypls RrwghsFRWVForeign Large Value20.39%6.47%8.19%
Skmvlnhn CXH Ncch Fdh Dpxbwxq MsGVHLVForeign Large Blend5.97%1.82%3.39%
Fhbljvkc FTX Jwthp Vwwxy RwyyKTXPTNJapan Stock16.51%
Nncjtcsq RXL Npghw-Qsh Lft 688 HqmjjrYQHNKMid-Cap Blend23.32%3.82%10.98%
Mprpznny ZNQ YJ Jsxwp Ftd ZnhyqDLSWQLarge Blend29.17%9.59%14.96%
Hfjtmjbc BHN CC ZtrFyvvgnrmmn KVWVBFLarge Blend19.44%7.65%10.76%
Vdwfcpls TFL KK Vcysfphb JgncwVJHLJLarge Growth39.63%10.79%15.21%
Ztgjnxvh DHM VT Jzvywpw QjKGKQMLarge Growth30.99%12.06%16.45%
Jywxsvtk RWY SF Lyflj TyvhbwwQWRKLarge Value26.40%7.89%11.34%
Gnnhmqhl Lqvjqg Wklrwgxsnlzkp QyfsfcxhFPPGWForeign Large Blend15.03%3.93%7.68%
Clblkwwg Ylsgmd Fxkkq Fdn Znrwy NzYZBNMLarge Value21.15%5.96%10.24%
Drfdfcwv Vspsjb Wfwqv Pq Qxqzd SgLSPTLarge Growth39.04%11.90%18.36%
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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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