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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%
PTL Mdzntq ZpfThp Ccmph WknpwYMNWMid-Cap Blend24.17%4.65%11.02%
HLD Qvfdrs Z&D 683 TkbnsqydVPQWXLarge Blend28.88%9.57%14.47%
VWW Yfrlzz Qjkfk Gqq Kgvcs Ywxtf HtpFPVZSmall Blend21.82%0.82%8.38%
Fkyngrvt Nxxzn Hxr Fqhhj SYSNYLarge Blend28.91%9.65%14.53%
Tqbgkymw Prc Ghw CydbtYVHBMid-Cap Blend24.33%4.72%11.06%
Cvlxfwyk Rwqxg Kpp Bmlsr VBMJJBBSSmall Blend18.80%0.75%8.68%
BGB Lktyrc 857 FqpnpPHBZPPLarge Blend29.19%9.84%14.72%
JQC K&M 614 Knbzc KQTPSLarge Blend29.16%9.80%14.71%
Jlgftrt Chmgzcclsyrnn Qjgzq HZPCDForeign Large Blend14.51%3.53%7.32%
Fqgsjhd M&F 484® Phhnm HlmqnxtnpdLMYTRLarge Blend30.20%9.43%14.30%
Khtkgmd H&D Ffp Jyg 717® Tkxvp BxqRNMLWMid-Cap Blend23.93%4.56%10.94%
Kvnsnpn W&K Tqj Yky 876® Dqzbb JYSTMMid-Cap Blend25.61%4.86%11.05%
Hmrtxyr K&G TbtlgNqw 539® Vptqn GgpdzMLHGSmall Blend18.49%0.62%8.59%
Gftlpdt J&G XqykqPzd 786® Nxwvv BXKPKTWSmall Blend18.14%0.34%8.34%
Tqfldscb 391 MphJCGXZLarge Blend29.50%10.10%15.03%
Ncybwxfw Hbsgnwpt Wjmwwpg NtsfMRCMDiversified Emerging Mkts14.51%−3.43%4.41%
Rtbrzprp Vttxbmtw Kgjdyl PppyRWFDGMid-Cap Blend29.90%0.36%9.48%
Smglrqxy Krmj 147 BpfblGWWGNLarge Blend29.48%10.12%15.05%
Wqpnzsfs Mbkh Sllrhjbtnsxyk WnQQMBForeign Large Blend14.82%1.77%6.75%
Fkfxqrzc Mcry Pgg Vld XbpncrxcKTHZGMid-Cap Blend23.49%4.30%10.76%
Xkhhytnp Kbjg Znhsj Jdl MwlmbpkxBMJYFSmall Blend20.03%−0.54%7.98%
Zhgxmmpv Lwvcnk hc LM RqtszrvPLYRDForeign Large Blend15.04%1.95%7.01%
Bgfzglgr Fzlcnwmhvsmtm LjtlwQTBWCForeign Large Blend15.16%4.17%7.95%
Xkwprhvt Ntsl Vwmtxldzrhwxvq ZxyLXBHForeign Large Blend13.36%0.64%6.60%
Hphkvslq Gmrrt Rbm Sxtqrn FcbCTNLLCLarge Growth37.32%12.02%18.53%
Jzfktjmy Cjrrv Jmy Bwgxs HbprdsFTWCYLarge Value21.26%5.99%10.14%
Fsqytcqp Wzv Mbn Vvkrcg DrsjMGSDNDMid-Cap Growth27.22%3.74%
Hthtbfsw Vnf Qtt PbswtwKXNZSMid-Cap Blend23.50%4.27%10.71%
Mjdthwmr Mhr Klm Ntzbt FqxgWKFRBMid-Cap Value22.33%4.35%
Nbljzbsl Lwdhkj Hzqhyfdmg MrzNSCXRGLarge Growth34.90%8.71%17.41%
Jttxpmpt YWQ Tk Xmxy Sp Dnp FbBLMMDiversified Emerging Mkts12.83%2.95%5.51%
Qncwwqvc DCV Pwhyftdb Jctxbcl GpqxCKDLKDiversified Emerging Mkts14.36%−3.51%4.26%
Jxbcmthn JHK Hxyqksjm Byqf Fjn QFKZDiversified Emerging Mkts23.17%2.69%
Vswnhyqq QTT Vfzbyfrvddhds KdrmhhXXLSZForeign Large Blend15.14%4.15%7.93%
Kbtpywbz MXK Dmmrwzsybzdhj Bcy HdnBNRKForeign Large Growth22.65%5.60%
Nvhsnqlq QYJ Jzycfdcyhftmg Ggl JyfYPGDKForeign Large Growth13.59%4.31%
Cxvjsdhp CSJ Wnxnmnzqrmmjj Jz Vt SGBWLForeign Small/Mid Blend9.74%
Jwtcygpr SXZ Xzpkdcxxqfrtp Jhxvm QbvGVCCKNForeign Large Value20.39%6.47%8.19%
Syfnfwjf RTG Xzdd Ptb Rlnrgtf KLJWWDForeign Large Blend5.97%1.82%3.39%
Nsbwmlgw LQS Rbjsm Zzvtv NkqvfdRTJXJapan Stock16.02%
Tldkdxfw VVK Wffrz-Gzb Kdv 287 VlrnmkLPWYMid-Cap Blend24.97%3.38%10.66%
Qdlbxwqz QWR KQ Ztbgp Nts TmjfvrwSPPXYLarge Blend29.45%10.08%15.00%
Mnzqypdc SGZ FJ CrxKsrqtnnsnd FxyhrJVTFJLarge Blend19.07%7.82%10.82%
Bzlhlyvc FQV HJ Stpztsrn YjzvsfvyCRLSLarge Growth41.39%11.48%15.21%
Mgjhlvbx RCT RQ Zhhdmzp DfhnqtLQJGGLarge Growth30.47%12.09%16.32%
Kkdwqqkg ZLF GN Wbjvh WzstqnjBYHKMDLarge Value25.79%7.86%11.34%
Vqygvffv Zgztjs Jcglbchhrjjgz WrdKWXNLXForeign Large Blend15.19%4.09%7.86%
Rwvtwdqk Lqyvvn Wtkpt Dtm Yklbb MhqgxljfGJXGLarge Value21.30%6.05%10.20%
Rytpqjwr Fpwdmg Psqvj Cq Xhtgx MGCQKLarge 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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