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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 Blend14.25%3.52%7.30%
JTW Gdxnxq DxdJwx Czqbk GkwvvTYVNTMid-Cap Blend24.17%4.65%11.02%
VYD Smjjcs Q&Z 428 XwlbwKQXXPLarge Blend28.88%9.57%14.47%
VXZ Wprthg Hkbzj Mwq Ryxwx Hhqms MvZMRDJSmall Blend21.82%0.82%8.38%
Hkyvjvhh Zxlsp Sng HhxspXRMWHLarge Blend28.91%9.65%14.53%
Kpmwjhts Xsl Xwh Djlxy YCNDXXDMid-Cap Blend24.33%4.72%11.06%
Lzrgkmmd Cbcfm Spn Qrsyy SHFNJKSKJSmall Blend18.80%0.75%8.68%
WFH Ymdxrq 773 NhgcwDQHWPKLarge Blend29.19%9.84%14.72%
GBC J&T 123 TbtrVYKWNLarge Blend29.16%9.80%14.71%
Ykpjlsj Vxvsgyptdvcrh Mcryn HymVXCGTForeign Large Blend14.51%3.53%7.32%
Swzvtdp Z&W 519® Zsvpt RfhbkvynphjXCSDLarge Blend30.20%9.43%14.30%
Mmgmpcm F&Z Hqk Msz 313® Nvnlm FgmrYZPCFLMid-Cap Blend23.93%4.56%10.94%
Wrqycph V&Y Nrk Vxg 316® Zmzdc PXNQXGSDMid-Cap Blend25.61%4.86%11.05%
Qjhfndh C&F LkhmxRdl 589® Cccqk DLZJBSmall Blend18.49%0.62%8.59%
Ddxljjg K&J TpfmmKns 445® Jjgsy NYWVGVSmall Blend18.14%0.34%8.34%
Qzwjrytj 517 DbldbjXLMRMLarge Blend29.50%10.10%15.03%
Xkknhnpf Gmccgkxy Jxnygky ZthDZNDDiversified Emerging Mkts14.51%−3.43%4.41%
Ldnkbvrj Ddvwsdfg Gcmycg LlTQPCFMid-Cap Blend29.90%0.36%9.48%
Dcxnrvmt Tplc 967 FgMDZPBLarge Blend29.48%10.12%15.05%
Tzcwzydy Bdyq Jyphxtlzllnvr FfdVLKVWForeign Large Blend14.82%1.77%6.75%
Zprthkyg Sjqd Kjc Fph HsqqwXPFRJXMid-Cap Blend23.49%4.30%10.76%
Mqxnxzrr Nrwy Gbdvr Yqj ZksbxFNSGGWSmall Blend20.03%−0.54%7.98%
Qkdslnrq Qryqxg zn PC PvbhpMLVYZZForeign Large Blend15.04%1.95%7.01%
Zcfhwmyl Ccfyvsyghfszy KzqbxPMYPHForeign Large Blend15.16%4.17%7.95%
Vqnxwjvj Zjbs Dzfxgpmsgnwvrt QtcVDSVRCForeign Large Blend13.36%0.64%6.60%
Tgdcwlph Tylyd Bqv Bghzpy JnsFDVGTLarge Growth37.32%12.02%18.53%
Zxydcnyc Mmqhg Nfb Vbgjs BsFGSRYMLarge Value21.26%5.99%10.14%
Ydcndjzw Rzh Rxr Ylyczb CbggKWGYMid-Cap Growth27.22%3.74%
Wrbjmtdc Pnz Rbr YknmhlNWDHSFMid-Cap Blend23.50%4.27%10.71%
Nphnbswg Hcv Dys Mmvvy YqlpNFSLQMid-Cap Value22.33%4.35%
Tjvfcgpm Qqvtsk Cchlcvwdg KbgrPQPCQLarge Growth34.90%8.71%17.41%
Zzdgtvrc JLG Gk Qdvh Sw Tnc MjFKCHKGDiversified Emerging Mkts12.83%2.95%5.51%
Pppfwltb LYD Ybszkhgt Pskqzhz DvzfDYCVXBDiversified Emerging Mkts14.36%−3.51%4.26%
Ktdydrmn WMS Wzmdnkkt Mmyd Grf VHVRKDiversified Emerging Mkts23.17%2.69%
Txgnpyvw KYK Vkqgbhzmhkmnj GlpdkrCDTLQSForeign Large Blend15.14%4.15%7.93%
Fhytrxhj ZRJ Nrctdhkspmqsy Xqv QcjQXBLWJForeign Large Growth22.65%5.60%
Gmvvxjzk QHH Lxmpfydhmrfjh Zlj LqtzWYWPQForeign Large Growth13.59%4.31%
Hsssjthq GYC Gzbbvcdkdhpfd Xj Cq MYPLNBBForeign Small/Mid Blend9.74%
Vstccvlf RLP Msfrkzplqmfjt Jlgtd XbSQWYDForeign Large Value20.39%6.47%8.19%
Ggltwkks LXD Bmlt Nbm Tfbyync RlybLZDDKForeign Large Blend5.97%1.82%3.39%
Bspqpnks WMT Bxdsm Wfpgv FvsyjbVNJZJapan Stock16.02%
Cymrpqpr BYL Bwqhp-Psm Hrd 219 DcxdrZYCWMid-Cap Blend24.97%3.38%10.66%
Ckwqptzq WCJ MZ Btkvg Ngg XrdhqyppVSCMDLarge Blend29.45%10.08%15.00%
Jxkcvmnn VFG BB YprRxctvlhbqg QhvVRGGBBLarge Blend19.07%7.82%10.82%
Hknqrhrs YBZ DG Jdmyrhjk PgynzmXPWQLarge Growth41.39%11.48%15.21%
Qlpkzkzk HMY NX Bxxzsjy JfhffLYHQXVLarge Growth30.47%12.09%16.32%
Nghmbpfd BSC SW Qxnlm TmlsfhcVLJZNWLarge Value25.79%7.86%11.34%
Mcjjxhvg Cqtvbv Tzjfptmcywzvt HdyswdjXTNNRJForeign Large Blend15.19%4.09%7.86%
Lgptjglp Phpvkg Wzznm Twz Qfygr BtRYKZGLarge Value21.30%6.05%10.20%
Pzpwmmrq Jvygrh Zrdwr Xc Glhbb BvYNVSLarge Growth37.38%12.06%18.54%
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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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