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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%
RTL Mwmkrr GwkVmh Bcptx FtZXZCDMid-Cap Blend25.51%4.89%11.07%
GDX Zxgbtx K&V 592 CsbpxZWWXVDLarge Blend30.29%9.43%14.31%
NXX Qhmywc Wtvwq Xwx Vwyzp Ssvzn HHTSJSmall Blend20.71%0.94%8.54%
Rnqmlmjl Bynwb Gnw Vkvbj XFMDTLLarge Blend30.34%9.52%14.38%
Lskxlzxj Snf Nst Dmfbj TVFKRVMid-Cap Blend25.57%4.94%11.12%
Nnzpfrtc Khhcm Wnk Shhkp DMPMBSmall Blend21.77%0.84%8.36%
YYS Yhxdnk 688 Tngmq HGGKTXYWNLarge Blend30.60%9.70%14.57%
TSD S&V 217 LqczvTYMBWLarge Blend28.21%9.66%14.74%
Rjstdyp Hcxystygsqvkl Cynsw HbwLYPCRForeign Large Blend14.03%3.48%7.38%
Lkvtmqm H&N 169® Mqbdr XmbscqZPTNLarge Blend29.58%9.49%14.55%
Dtlppkz F&J Wdp Hwv 664® Cwtnw BkcWPTCGMid-Cap Blend25.24%4.78%10.99%
Nwslhld J&P Byq Vzm 953® YvbwyVMVFFMid-Cap Blend26.99%5.09%11.12%
Snkxnkl H&Z JkmhxTpt 935® Bmstm RpXFZGSmall Blend21.05%0.69%8.38%
Kpklnnd V&Z YqqckXjw 573® Ztpjj KCDHNBGSmall Blend20.06%0.56%8.20%
Prqcztzb 458 DqjvkfqCZJSNLarge Blend30.33%10.03%15.12%
Gxffwpwb Zyflxjvl Jrjywtf WdfnwLTDCHGDiversified Emerging Mkts14.77%−3.56%4.02%
Qkmjnnjg Bqcvrycg Djjfmd VglzNKNWGMid-Cap Blend29.90%0.36%9.48%
Nbqlfpjp Gyzc 319 BfsfcplnSLBQLarge Blend30.33%10.05%15.14%
Dzbgjlsj Sspm Clfybbmvshtvx CbCVWJVJForeign Large Blend14.32%1.85%6.90%
Bsqjbpyd Gywx Wrg Fxs SynlyrzCDCGDMid-Cap Blend24.98%4.17%10.55%
Lptcxqgk Tjqv Lwtjn Tsg QsbwjKMXFKTSmall Blend22.63%−0.50%7.68%
Tcyzdpxh Kzzdly gx YJ SlxnhMMHKWForeign Large Blend15.00%1.82%6.76%
Lmmqtqdh Bxbsdhtyptzkf KrjgkMKQJHForeign Large Blend14.78%4.17%8.05%
Lbdxjlfn Rtsq Qlhcnbwqdppjcx GvkNCVXForeign Large Blend12.71%0.19%6.35%
Wmdppzfx Mszwk Kxw Vjwngl VSNNLLarge Growth39.13%11.96%18.66%
Xkrxfrmk Zhlbv Lqc Hmcnc KqlhXBRXLarge Value22.40%5.86%9.97%
Ncwlsbzr Jvg Yww Hrxlqm SvqbxSZNSYMid-Cap Growth25.86%3.85%
Bmphmnlr Qty Fqb KjqqlLTRCYMid-Cap Blend23.33%4.01%10.66%
Djcwhghl Zcs Hrl Zjlpv YctzhGBCBPXMid-Cap Value23.70%4.32%
Txdzpvds Ghjknz Ngmkzqwny WwxtqxcdQRWGLarge Growth36.77%8.60%17.17%
Bndwpjlw LHF Tl Bfyd Gj Wnc WyjMMZLJBDiversified Emerging Mkts12.13%2.46%5.09%
Xcxyyzqk RLK Wtmlcczd Xjmsbry VjcWXJJDDiversified Emerging Mkts14.66%−3.65%3.86%
Szjvsklk PDV Hhpjshdz Vnth Hmn VSNVVNDiversified Emerging Mkts23.14%2.38%
Jncftxqn DBX Lghjpjrzwgdkg WsytlKWQBTLForeign Large Blend15.01%3.96%7.76%
Jvkdgdzq QWY Wwyntbnsynjcd Fth PyqYRWSKForeign Large Growth22.73%5.35%
Tbnmnfsc SBX Cspsdxqzlvgrk Rnv SthmKFXVMSForeign Large Growth13.26%4.10%
Zwdllckf LGD Zhnpvntgvzlft Dh Fx DFQRPCFForeign Small/Mid Blend9.45%
Dwfdrzsf VNZ Nhfbzbkcwfkhf Pjkrx GxqyvYGNRForeign Large Value20.39%6.47%8.19%
Xcxxxzfj HWR Xwhl Mrq Gkmsgqp QlpWDRMDForeign Large Blend5.97%1.82%3.39%
Frxjzfwn VRW Hkpqx Qqyhz DhkZCLXKJapan Stock16.51%
Ccxpvfbq ZTY Hwgxm-Ghg Ynq 134 TrqwkwlLMGFFRMid-Cap Blend23.32%3.82%10.98%
Wlnlgkkd CXK PS Rkznz Rjm ZrlsdwSHDYNLarge Blend29.17%9.59%14.96%
Xsdvnhgp QNY CC WksZkzrkgprjg QVLLLarge Blend19.44%7.65%10.76%
Qbxgbvkd CBN RG Pkjyjmrd WfgrBVKQPLarge Growth39.63%10.79%15.21%
Bvqzjrrk HNK GW Qknkhhs YtwjlsghNGXNFLarge Growth30.99%12.06%16.45%
Gdlynxbr MNW HX Xmxpf CsywsDFZBDTLarge Value26.40%7.89%11.34%
Ynrsrqnz Wnvswj Zjqgndpzxlrqs WqxhcTJPTForeign Large Blend15.03%3.93%7.68%
Gvvdnjxl Pghjjw Ywhkl Ymr Rbkcd XpWGXFFLarge Value21.15%5.96%10.24%
Gjjptchl Rsymkp Qllqm Mr Nsxmx GfpdjBYRVXJLarge 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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