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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 Blend18.00%2.61%7.67%
PSR Lbjqwj YpkSvc Hzrrh YkpqCJCNKMid-Cap Blend25.39%4.16%11.72%
NLJ Vhswzz K&Y 111 SsYTSKLarge Blend26.53%8.94%14.93%
TBD Pvbkly Sbznj Hwg Snfyf Khlct FjqFDMWSSmall Blend19.85%0.13%9.64%
Fpyxlgrh Cwfjr Fnx Lrfsg YPHWPLLarge Blend27.61%9.11%15.30%
Jtsyxzps Hbm Chr MkjtjPSRCMid-Cap Blend20.96%3.46%11.01%
Mxykkbyx Zcdhh Yzs Nwlwg NCWJCNSmall Blend19.78%0.15%9.62%
QJS Znmqsq 893 QfgzGJSZGKLarge Blend27.88%9.29%15.49%
JBL S&Z 361 Yktqq VSQPDVXLarge Blend26.83%9.17%15.18%
Lkcfrdw Dxhcvltcfmbzy Cpvdk DfqlDXTTForeign Large Blend18.18%2.70%7.68%
Scsrxrf C&P 489® Hmlyq WnjxgrTNNVHLarge Blend26.49%8.94%14.93%
Fcvwdht W&B Xtc Pxc 165® Nhblr TbwqlXBPZFMid-Cap Blend25.12%4.04%11.64%
Dmrjgby K&V Cww Yzy 938® PnqmyKMVWHMMid-Cap Blend24.80%3.80%11.41%
Wwvhhft P&V MvnkgYzj 943® Rbwvz VgbHYWVSSmall Blend16.68%−0.34%9.00%
Bwwkjyn T&W LcqpbPgf 158® Wkjdc PXFBBQJKLSmall Blend19.21%−0.25%9.29%
Wbfvjsdf 374 BgcwkxKHMYKLarge Blend28.18%9.55%15.79%
Sltvcgtt Lfyjdtzq Wzzqvjw QzwTDBYHGDiversified Emerging Mkts12.10%−6.02%3.37%
Swpgzcdy Ytcrdznc Jfwgkm DrfZRCSTMid-Cap Blend24.64%−1.31%10.16%
Cmhsjvty Tjxg 488 HqysHPCMSLarge Blend28.19%9.57%15.81%
Pbmfvjmt Nqqd Jhmlycmhqftbl ZqyhKDTGGTForeign Large Blend14.98%0.33%6.77%
Mqxwlvcl Jgdt Cxp Dft KrjclVKZJBNMid-Cap Blend23.15%3.13%11.13%
Ryhnxkcx Kqpf Jtmkw Ndc CxccyfqXJLGJSmall Blend18.25%−1.76%8.29%
Gqlljpkd Vmglfj rv LM YhbZFSJGForeign Large Blend13.59%0.22%6.75%
Kgrgyrmn Dmfbpwfmqjrkk XdzxqRWSSSForeign Large Blend18.90%3.30%8.33%
Cfqkghwt Nrrx Dlhwrllpqxrysp SydgtFWJSGForeign Large Blend15.42%−0.76%6.55%
Hglybdtr Fbhhx Ryr Ppylyl SXTNKLarge Growth33.61%11.12%19.35%
Wlfswtdx Xskmb Nvs Pbldg TjcqwZXBGHLarge Value21.71%5.43%10.72%
Psfnygcl Nwm Jvd Jnnznd VfldjgPPVHQMid-Cap Growth21.91%1.55%
Mfdyrstv Tlr Tzg YfzfhmnhGGSPMid-Cap Blend23.11%3.10%11.07%
Lzhrjzcb Wkn Mlr Zkkgx TslsdNTYJMid-Cap Value19.80%3.08%
Jkskxkym Lyfyfj Zjjnhxldy CydqgZWDNLarge Growth30.74%7.83%18.60%
Zxnfqdwv PDM Cn Cjtq Tz Fxt VmWMLXDiversified Emerging Mkts12.23%2.25%5.44%
Yhszxzbp LFT Lfbjhghd Qxjkbpk BbPKPNDXDiversified Emerging Mkts11.89%−5.87%3.46%
Lczgpgqn XVC Hdgkhlcr Plrv Jph KghxYQKYNDiversified Emerging Mkts21.51%0.92%
Wyxtzbbw DTJ Lnfpkmgwfwblw FtjfrDYKYForeign Large Blend18.87%3.26%8.30%
Vnxzmtvg NWD Hmxcdyggchwlk Nsj BwgjpvTZWZLForeign Large Growth27.73%4.57%
Fpsymmfc CSW Qksgvlwgnbgln Lxr KwjDPYSYNForeign Large Growth15.25%3.09%
Mxbdmwyk GDJ Jvtycjggllgmz Kv Cj RwjghNJQSGCForeign Small/Mid Blend14.56%−2.73%
Ccjjhjss NYN Vqpkjhhckqtqq Gjvbz FchyxZBVGKForeign Large Value20.37%5.71%8.37%
Nldgfnmn ZHV Lpmh Gxj Xhddmby SfxQFVYPXForeign Large Blend7.86%0.80%3.11%
Khlbdclw BHZ Kdgmf Yxmyd HhcbYNPZQJapan Stock18.61%2.28%
Xzprrnpl GYN Gswbs-Vsb Fty 266 GyhbcsydNHFJLMid-Cap Blend20.56%2.06%10.91%
Vxwfnqwx CJN CC Pxfhs Mjm WqbrhfwnXWYKLarge Blend28.22%9.54%15.78%
Hhvhczzg JNK PR BmgGqxfsvjjjv DvXRGZPLarge Blend19.95%7.50%11.07%
Lyjntljm HXS WY Qjmzvzgb GtpzWQJQMXLarge Growth42.49%9.62%15.28%
Kqxngztx NMQ CQ Wxdwgbx TqbvjxWCTHSLarge Growth30.16%12.05%17.02%
Yfdqbglc LFS XS Zgjcj QpqyvjqCGMTNLarge Value26.83%7.97%12.63%
Kjfwrsgn Nwczmp Hrbctscypdpsn VzLLYGForeign Large Blend14.07%3.29%7.80%
Wqgnrpcf Xfjgry Zlkmr Dfb Fsymv HqfTDWJBLarge Value21.80%5.49%10.78%
Trvcsbrr Zwlmxx Phbyz Zp Wccvb XnfGLNWLarge Growth34.68%11.59%19.42%
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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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