Fund managers wage war against the markets every day, trying to pick stocks or bonds that will push them past their benchmark bogeys. More often than not, the markets win. But investors don’t have to lose out, too. They can choose to invest in exchange-traded funds instead. Broad ETFs can capture nearly all of a market’s returns by passively tracking a benchmark, such as Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index.
Expense ratios are rock bottom — in fact, some firms are flirting with none at all (there are some catches.)
Yet with more than 2,000 ETFs now on offer, picking a few good ones can be daunting. More than a dozen funds track versions of the S&P 500 alone. Plus, scores of ETFs aim to beat the markets by carving out certain types of stocks or bonds, or by emphasizing things such as share-price momentum—anything to give them an edge over traditional indexes.
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Whatever your goals, the portfolios below can serve as the bedrock of your investment program for years. Each basket features a broad mix of common stocks and bonds, all drawn from the Kiplinger ETF 20.
Maximum growth
Fewer stocks, more yield
Playing it safe(r)
Keeping It Simple
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Tax Reconciliation Bill Could Trigger $500 Billion in Mandatory Medicare CutsThe deficits caused by the tax bill would trigger the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 and force billions in cuts to Medicare. However, Congress can block the implementation of the cuts.
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Stock Market Today: Stocks Chop After House Passes Trump's Tax BillThe bill, which was narrowly approved by the House of Representatives, will now move to the Senate.
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Stock Market Today: Stocks Chop After House Passes Trump's Tax Bill
The bill, which was narrowly approved by the House of Representatives, will now move to the Senate.
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Stock Market Today: Dow Falls 817 Points as Bond Yields RiseFinancial markets are once again focused on Washington, D.C., but taxes, not tariffs, are driving recent price action.
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Stock Market Today: Cautious Investors Let Stocks Drift LowerMarkets weigh encouraging trends for earnings and tariffs against concerning signals from U.S. consumers.
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Stock Market Today: Markets Discount Another U.S. DowngradeAfter Friday's closing bell, Moody's followed Standard & Poor's and Fitch and cut its rating on U.S. government debt.
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Stock Market Today: Investors Look on the Bright SideA generally good week closes on another positive note, as investors, traders and speculators look for fresh catalysts.
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Stock Market Today: Nasdaq Outperforms as Big Tech Rallies
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower for a second day as Amgen and Merck fell.
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Stock Market Today: UnitedHealth Drags on Dow After CEO SplitsUNH created headwinds for the price-weighted Dow on news that its embattled CEO, Andrew Witty, is stepping down.
