FSKAX

buttflapper444

>Note its probably a coin toss what will do better, based on the random performance for the 1k stock that FSKAX holds that FZROX does not. It's insane that they added a thousand additional stocks and didn't see any change in performance at all. Like, how does that even work? I compared it year-over-year for the past 5 years. How can a thousand additional stocks being added results in almost no change?

Cruian

>also FZROX I believe will sample the index, not buy every single company , This is common to other US total market funds as well. The other day I found it on VTI/VTSAX 's prospectus for example, I'd fully expect to see the same in FSKAX's.

Cruian

FSKAX follows Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, FPADX follows MSCI Emerging Markets Index. https://testfol.io/?s=53rPsZqsrlO emerging more than doubled the US returns between January 1, 2025 and January 7, 2026 (yesterday).

SirGlass

Well there should be a very slight difference in expense ratio of 0.015 but they do follow two different indexes FSKAX follows the dow jones USA total market index. Note index funds have to pay some "fees" to follow an index FZROX follows some Fidelity U.S. Total Investable Market Index. So slightly different indexes, also FZROX I believe will sample the index, not buy every single company , FZROX has approx 2500 holdings where FSKAX has approx 3700 So its simply the small differences in the indexes and holdings Note its probably a coin toss what will do better, based on the random performance for the 1k stock that FSKAX holds that FZROX does not.

harrison_wintergreen

according to Morningstar data, FZROX has slightly lower percentage in mid and small caps. this difference might explain the bit of FSKAX under-performance over the last few years. but if large company stocks slump and smaller company stocks rally, it's possible FSKAX might be the better investment. to see the portfolio holdings broken down by different measures to to Morningstar > search any fund ETF > portfolio > style measures > market cap https://www.morningstar.com/funds/xnas/fskax/portfolio

Khartu-Al

FZILX is proprietary and does not track the same index, althouh they are mostly similar. I believe FSKAX includes more slightly underperforming (now) small caps.

MF266

If I wanted flexibility to move brokerages later, I’d lean ETFs in the taxable account. VOO for S&P exposure checks the box and avoids getting stuck with proprietary funds. In the Roth, I’d be more comfortable using FSKAX or FZROX since portability isn’t really a concern there and tax efficiency doesn’t matter

carbsaredangerous

90% FSKAX and 10% FTIHX, after taking out the emergency fund and putting that into an HYSA.

StopElectingWealthy

This is pretty good advice. Although I slightly disagree about VT as the US stock market historically does better and I have held both VT and FSKAX(VTI equivalent) and the US market has been substantially better. So I still like VT, but less allocation

GaylrdFocker

That's perfectly fine. Most people recommend VTI/VXUS because 1. it's cheap (FSKAX is cheaper, FTIHX is close enough) and 2. it's easy to move (in a Roth IRA you can sell and rebuy whatever you want if you leave Fidelity) Having Bitcoin is a personal preference but you are only doing 5% so go for it if you want.

CrabKates

My Roth IRA only consists of FSKAX and FTIHX so I guess the riskiest has to be one or the other.

Cruian

Despite the name including the word "growth" and great recent returns, long term has tended to favor the complete opposite: small and value over large and growth. Factor investing starting points: * https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/factor-investing.asp * https://www.fidelity.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/fidelity/fidelity-overview-of-factor-investing.pdf (PDF) * https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-black-hole-of-investing/ * https://www.dimensional.com/ca-en/insights/when-its-value-versus-growth-history-is-on-values-side * But be aware that factor premiums can take a while to show up: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bogleheads/comments/1hmbwuw/what_every_longterm_investor_should_know_about/ * And from GwenRoll: https://www.reddit.com/r/ETFs/comments/1krd3fe/growth_does_no_one_know_what_the_hell_it_means/ >FTIHX at 20% feels like enough international exposure to avoid being 100% US, without dragging down returns too much if the US continues to outperform But waters them down if international continues to over perform (2025 favored ex-US). This isn't an uncommon event, over 40% of 10 year periods since 1970 have favored developed ex-US over the US, which isn't too far off from a coin flip. In fact, last I checked, many places were expecting markets to favor international over the US for the next decade or two (valuations playing a large role in that). >FSPGX is my "aggressive" bet. I know it overlaps with FSKAX, but I want to double down on growth/tech while I’m 22 As covered above, "growth" as a style has tended to under perform in the long run. You may be reducing your expected returns with this. Sector bets are uncompensated risk. An uncompensated risk is one that doesn't bring higher expected long term returns. Uncompensated risk should be avoided whenever possible. Compensated vs uncompensated risk: * https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/uncompensated-risk/ * https://www.northerntrust.com/middle-east/insights-research/2024/wealth-management/compensated-portfolio-risk >But not all risks are compensated with an expected return premium. * https://www.pwlcapital.com/is-investing-risky-yes-and-no/ (Bold mine) >Uncompensated risk is very different; it is the risk specific to an individual company, **sector,** or country. What makes you think that tech is either the only sector still under valued or the only sector not over valued? >-​Is 20% International (FTIHX) a good middle ground? I see some people say 0% and others say 40% (market weight). I’m trying to find the sweet spot for maximum growth. This is impossible to tell ahead of time. Take a look at Figure 4 here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Domestic/International a 37ish year period where anything more than 10% US hurt your returns. Figure 2 shows roughly the same time length where the best returns were with 40-50% international (when we exclude emerging markets). >​Are there any specific "gotchas" or better fund equivalents at Fidelity I should be using instead (e.g., FZROX vs FSKAX)? Do you prefer the few hundred extra holdings or the very tiny expense ratio difference? Does it matter to you if FZROX follows an index Fidelity designed themselves?

nakfoor

I'm not too familiar with what Canadian citizens have access to but if you can get broad US stock or broad western market stock funds with low fees, that's a good choice. Vanguard offers two funds called VOO and VTI that are popular. Most financial institutions offer their equivalent for it. Schwab has SCHB. Fidelity has FSKAX. Basically what we have seen is that these markets grow on average about 7% per year. Key point is that is over long periods of time which is why you have to be okay with volatility. It might grow 10% for a few years, then be down 20% for a year. Then 3% the next year..etc. 7% is the average over the 20-30 year span.

therealjerseytom

The nice thing is, in a tax-sheltered account like a Roth IRA, you can change your mind and swap investment strategies with no tax hit. So whatever you choose *right now* you could do a 180 on a month from now; no big deal. I'd make the case that for your first *10 years* of investing, the most important decisions you can make are your budgeting and contributions; the more you can save the better. Biggest thing working in your favor is that you're 32, and have ample time to build things back up before typical withdrawal age (60+). You could make this very simple and just invest in an all-world, all-stock ETF like "VT." Or that mix of FSKAX and FTIHX you were doing. Whether you do 80/20, 60/40, or 100/0 I think is going to have far less significance in the immediate term compared to just how much you can shovel into the account overall.

we_are_all_dead_

Early morning energy drink rant I guess. I found my statements and it looks like I was 80/20 into FSKAX/FTIHX. I guess just reassuring my self this is a viable option to this day , and doesn’t sound crazy. Before I go resetting up reoccurring transfers / investments etc. been a while since I’ve been in the investing world. Few years

Hurricane_Ivan

FSKAX and FTIHX exists

Hurricane_Ivan

FSKAX and FTIHX exists

Hurricane_Ivan

FSKAX and FTIHX exists

Empyrius

Keep my job, keep savings rate high, keep investing in FSKAX/FZILX.

letmethink23

I misread with the VTI = FSKAX. I thought I saw it was the same as VDIGX. I think all I can do right now is look into maxing out 401k and then increase contributions to VDIGX and FSKAX

loopernova

VTI = FSKAX essentially. So no need to change if you already have it. VDIGX is a dividend growth fund. The same stocks in this will also be in FSKAX. So unless you specifically want to concentrate more in dividend growth companies, you could transfer money out of this into FSKAX.

Empyrius

43 years old. 70% FSKAX, 30% FZILX. Simple as.

baseballer213

FSKAX has a 99% correlation with FXAIX, so you already own the S&P 500. I keep beating a dead horse here, but adding JLGMX isn’t diversification; it is paying 29x higher fees (0.44% vs 0.015%) to overweight the exact same top stocks (Nvidia, Microsoft) you already hold in FSKAX. [Standardized data shows the S&P 500 beating JLGMX year-to-date](https://portfolioslab.com/tools/stock-comparison/JLGMX/FXAIX). As for the HELOC: claiming you can service debt with zero income (no job + no tenants) is mathematically impossible. If you have the cash reserves to cover that nightmare scenario, you should just invest the cash and skip the loan entirely.

DesignedIt

I can't buy stocks with my retirement account though. So I can't buy NVDA, MSFT, AMZN, etc. and can only buy FXAIX or JLGMX. I already have $230k in FSKAX so don't want to buy more of FXAIX. Where are you getting the 15.8% and 18.1% returns at? I just logged into my retirement account and am showing the opposite. I also don't own the $750,000 in stock yet -- right now I just have $230k FSKAX and $70k JLGMX so it diversifies it right now. I could always convert the $70k back to FXAIX next year once I own some of the other stocks/crypto. If the stock market crashes a 2nd time and crypto crashes a 2nd time and I lose my job and the real estate market crashes and I can't get a new job and all of my tenants move out (combination of 6 worst case scenario) then I'll still be able to pay back the HELOC. I'm not concerned about this scenario but I did take it into account. Also if there is a recession then the variable rate of the HELOC would lower.

DesignedIt

I don't have many choices for mutual funds in my 401k. I had FXAIX and traded it for JLGMX since it had the highest return amount. I started with 100% FSKAX before any research and am trading some of it in from my non-retirement account for other stock and crypto as they dip. Crypto moonshots are only about 4% of my total portfolio which I can DCA from my salary. The HELOC funds would be mostly for the stable stocks IF they crash. If you could make one change what would it be?

weasler7

Lmao high yield savings engine =\= growth stock portfolio. Also, look at the composition of FSKAX, FSPGX, and VUG. They have high compositions of MSFT, GOOG, META, NVDA.

Alternative_Dog2779

The smartest approach is usually to treat Bitcoin like a *speculation sleeve*, not a core holding — especially if you’re already diversified with broad-market index funds like FSKAX and FTIHX. A lot of people take the “**asymmetric bet**” view: * Worst-case scenario: it goes to zero, and you lose a small allocation. * Best-case scenario: it becomes widely adopted, and the upside drastically outweighs the risk. For most long-term investors, a **1–5% allocation** (only if you understand it and are comfortable with volatility) is enough to get exposure without jeopardizing your financial plan. But the key is: **If price swings stress you out or you don’t believe the thesis, there’s no rule saying you** ***need*** **to own it.**

znightmaree

You do not need a financial advisor. If you really want to bounce ideas around, ask any of the many widely available LLMs and cross reference their answers. If your returns aren’t beating the S&P500, then just invest in the S&P500. If you are on Fidelity, consider FXAIX or FSKAX for something more diversified. Put every dollar you have in that fund and forget about it. If you want to get more involved, then read up on stuff and adjust things accordingly. Many will recommend VT, or VOO, or their equivalents in Fidelity. You really can’t go wrong with a diversified fund. You are young so you shouldn’t really need to worry about bonds etc. You are literally lighting that 1% on fire. It is a total waste of money.

Adventurous_Elk_4039

\>*Do you have any SMALL amount of extremely high risk companies/stocks? Like 1-3% of your portfolio?* I dabbled in the past and had some employer stock as well, but at the moment no, and I have no particularly strong feelings about any individual companies. That said, 1-3% is perfectly reasonable to play around with if you want to experiment. \>*any chance you could give me an almost exact estimate if your portfolio? Like what % you have invested in each fund / index, etc.?* As I said in my post, I am 75/25 on FSKAX/FTIHX. This gives me essentially total world coverage with a home country (US) tilt. If you prefer ETFs, you could do VTI/VXUS to achieve similar. Or if you want to keep things extremely simple, you could just invest in 100% VT which is the full world at market cap rates. This essentially makes you the market. You won't outperform it, but you won't underperform it either.

Adventurous_Elk_4039

\> *I think I want to save what I have right now primarily for retirement instead of for a house or other large payment, since I know time in the market is the most important aspect of investing.* This means you may not want to put everything into the market then, especially if these goals are short term. Not sure how old you are, but I imagine that might be a ways off (5+ years). If you think you will NEED some of this money sooner, you might want to consider putting some of it into a money market or treasury fund (something like SGOV for example). \>*Should I increase the % of my balance in FXAIX, since it is a long term investment? Or should I take more risks since I am still very young?*  All equities is PLENTY risk, and you just fine in going all equities when you are so young. I wouldn't worry about gold/silver etc. I would honestly go all FXAIX/similar and......... \>*Last thing - should I invest outside of the U.S. too?*  Absolutely. The US has done very well recently, but that wasn't always the case, and we can't predict the future. My personal preference is \~75% in a total US market fund (I use FSKAX) and \~25% in an Ex-US fund (I use FTIHX). The standard recommendation is anywhere from 80/20 to 60/40 for US vs ExUS. Everything else you mentioned... day trading, REITs, individual stocks, commodities, etc. I wouldn't worry about any of those. They offer significantly more risk with less expected payoffs, so not worth it IMO. Because you have such a long runway in front of you due to your age, your best bet is to just invest in board market index funds and be consistently contributing over time. Do this, and live below your means, you will have millions in retirement even on an average salary.

Bluebaron88

If you need to have spending money in less than 2 years SPAXX for short term treasury bills. It’s fluid and you can get access to your money in a short time (slowest part is transferring back to a bank). Longer term saving I would recommend low cost index funds like FXAIX or FSKAX. Those are S&P500 and total US stock market. I would avoid gold/crypto/art as they do not generate wealth or grow like companies do. Best served checking out the flow chart in personal finance sub and bogelheads. 

clock_skew

VTI and FSKAX contain almost the entirety of the US market (of publicly traded companies).

cazaaa11

65% FSKAX 5% FDGRX 24% FSPSX 6% FKEKX Rebalance each monthly and let it ride.

DoinIt4DaShorteez

I looked at the top 10 holdings of FBGRX and FSKAX and of the postions that are held in both, your total portoflio exposure is: NVDA 12.12% APPL 7.24% MSFT 6.17% AMZN 5.54% GOOG/GOOGL: 4.58% META: 3.79% AVGO: 2.44% Now that's definitely overweight NVDA, but at 38, I'm not sure I'd be too concerned about it, it's probably going to fix itself at some point, lol. The rest of the allocations I'd be pretty comfortable with. FBGRX is 16.13% NVDA and FSKAX is only 7.02% So if you want to trim, I'd probably trim FBGRX, it'll offload more NVDA weight per share than FSKAX. And maybe deploy new money to the other stuff you're talking about. And some of the money market funds if you really think you have too much. If your portfolio is $1 mln or less, I wouldn't say 12% in a money market fund is too much.

TortugaTurtle47

I keep things as simple as I can for me. I'll reevaluate when I'm 40. I keep about 3-4 months of expenses in a HYSA for my emergency fund. About 90% of retirement savings in growth funds like VTI and VXUS (FXAIX and FSKAX in my 401k). The other 10ish% in income (SPYI and QQQI) and bonds (FBND). I started contributing $5 a paycheck and now I'm up to 28% of my salary. I also have an HSA to take advantage of that benefit and I recommend everyone I know to look into it. Anything helps so start as soon as possible, even if it's only $3 a month.

Able-Examination576

I coincidentally invested my rollover spaxx funds into FSKAX Friday mid day.That transaction should be at the end of the day Friday price,is this correct? With that being said it might have been lucky timing?$117,000.

Pristine_Wish_1639

Your options: 1. Keep Fidelity Go as-is – if you want truly hands-off and don't mind the fee. 2. Switch to self-directed – sell the robo funds, buy FXAIX or another S&P 500 index fund yourself, and save the management fee 3. Do both – keep the Roth IRA in Fidelity Go, open a separate brokerage account for your ETFs where you have more control I'd probably move the Roth IRA to self-directed and just buy FXAIX or FSKAX (total market fund) if you're young and want growth. Set up automatic contributions and let it ride. If you want something more dynamic than basic buy-and-hold but still automated, there are no-code platforms now where you can build or follow strategies that actually adapt to market conditions – rebalance automatically, handle risk management, run on rules instead of emotions. It's like a robo-advisor but smarter and you keep full control of your brokerage. Could be worth exploring if you want automation without paying ongoing AUM fees. Happy to share the name of the tool if that sounds interesting.

Cruian

>However, I am wondering if that money would be better off in something like QQQ or start to include some of the mega tech stocks Most of QQQ is already inside FSKAX. Especially US large/mega cap tech. Tech (even ignoring Alphabet/Google, Meta/Facebook, Amazon, and Tesla) is currently over 30% of the weight of FSKAX. Different sectors over and under perform at different times. There's plenty of instances where the best long term performance wasn't with the hot new thing.

Substantial-Crazy-72

FSKAX is the place I'm in when things seem chill. When there is a market drop off ~10 ish %, I switch to FDGRX and FSELX until about 20% increase from switch. This keeps me interested and gives me something to do that's pretty safe and makes me feel like I'm trading.. Overall FSKAX and chill is going to be safe and fine of your not interested in being more active or risky. (In my opinion)

tokin_and_quotin

Nothing wrong with FSKAX at all, it's a great core position in your portfolio. If you wanted to put your foot on the gas a bit more you might consider allocating a chunk like 20% to higher growth stocks like QQQM (same as QQQ but lower expense ratio), SCHG, or VGT.

WeUsedToBeNumber10

UPDATE: decided to buy FSKAX/FSGSX/SPMO/PFF in a 70/20/10/10 split in the Rollover IRA.  Next will be the Roth IRA and Investment accounts.  Thanks for all the insights!

fattyliverking

My advice is to cut your position down to 5-10% of your portfolio (6k). Put the rest in other positions not exceeding 5-10% and a large core position like VOO or FSKAX.

decomposition_

Nothing wrong with some penny stocks, I stick to small cap (0.5B-10B stocks) that seem to have good growth potential, and then I skim the profits into stuff like my dividend growth stocks, or ETFs like FSKAX or VOO. Keeps my risk lower in that instance, and I’ve done quite well with stocks like RKLB, IONQ, KRKNF, OKLO etc

wandererarkhamknight

You can go with FZROX or FSKAX. That will be C and S in one fund. The FXAIX and FSMAX works too.

harrison_wintergreen

There are two issues with those fund: - first as the other person mentioned, those mutual funds have much higher fees than alternatives. Fees will eat into your returns over time. There are better options with lower fees. - second, those two fund are very similar, both focused on larger American companies. links below. The top 10 stocks in both funds are very similar: Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Broadcom, Apple ... so whoever sold you these funds didn't put much thought into the process. a better portfolio would be, maybe, (1) Larger US company fund; (2) smaller US company fund; (3) international company fund. these 3 would zig and zag differently, and would compliment each other better than two that are nearly identical. so my advice is similar to the other reply: fold both of those funds into FZROX or FXAIX or FSKAX (to use Fidelity examples), and add an international fund (FZILX, FSPSX) and possibly a fund focused on smaller US companies (FSSNX) ACAAX portfolio: https://www.morningstar.com/funds/xnas/acaax/portfolio FAGAX portfolio: https://www.morningstar.com/funds/xnas/fagax/portfolio

Muted-Woodpecker-469

Fidelity has a number of etfs and mutual funds. If you’re being serious, look at stuff like FSKAX, FXAIX, FTIHX, and FSELX among the hundreds of others that they offer. 

wandererarkhamknight

FSKAX has an ER of 0.015%, whereas FZROX is 0. Calling them high fee is misleading.

PeaceLvSpreadsheets

This. There's a reason every brokerage firm has their own fund that tracks the whole market - if someone asks me for a stock I point straight to VTI, SCHB, FSKAX.

srfdriver99

FSKAX is a total market fund, so it's plenty diversified. The only question is whether the high tilt towards stocks makes sense.

ArthurDent4200

I love what your mom is doing. I would lean in on FSKAX or add SP500 ETF, etc and keep a few years of her post retirement expenses in something safe and boring. She can draw on the safe and boring if the market hits a rough patch. She isn't going to run out of money unless she has very high monthly expenses. As far as estate planning, check out what her RMDs will be. Look at the probable tax rate and start converting to ROTH IRA at a rate that smooths out her tax liability starting this year. Inheriting an IRA is not great if those who inherit are in a fairly high tax bracket. She already has $2.3M in IRAs. Given anticipated growth of her IRAs and a single tax rate she will get hammered by taxes. You will too as you try to unload that much money over 10 years along with your own income. It's a little late to do a lot of conversions, but better late than never. I am surprised Fidelity pushed an annuity on her. I have never been offered one and certainly not steered towards any. I have never told them I am risk averse. Good luck to both of you. Art

PeaceLvSpreadsheets

Yup. FSKAX, FZILX, FTBFX. Disclaimer I’m only in the first two (total market, international) I’m not a good enough boglehead to care about bonds yet.

DrGrabAss

Obligatory "not a financial advisor," but I have been doing this a while. I'll skip the "pay off debt, have an emergency fund, build a budget, etc." You didn't ask that so, I'll stick to what you're looking for. Keep it simple. You're starting out, so here are some simple options and one essential habit. Starting with the habit: getting started is *WAY more important* than optimizing how you start right now. So, pick something and just get it going with automated monthly contributions. If you can do that, then you can move on to considering these options. If you cannot do that, then don't bother reading further. As for the smart ways to get started, you should find at least one target date fund within your companies available options. The date is your approximate retirement (age 67) date. You could go all in on that, it's diversified and pretty cheap. This is a great way to start. You wanted lower risk, and this is a good low-risk way to go. Target funds are rebalanced over time to become less risky as you approach retirement. They are excellent starting points. You get exposure to both the stock and bond markets, and if you're younger it'll be heavily weighted towards stocks starting out. You could literally go with this and call it good. One fund to rule them all. Alternatively, you could consider a three-fund portfolio, which are also very popular. The three funds are basically a foundational fund, an international OR growth fund, and a bond fund OR Dividend fund. The Foundational is typically one that tracks the S&P 500 (FXAIX) or the total stock market (FSKAX?). Both are hilariously cheap, either is a great choice. Fund 2 is more focused on international markets OR just a more aggressive fund focused heavily on growth. (Some people suggest that most S&P companies already provide some international exposure so a international fund might not be necessary, I can't say for sure.) Fund 3 has traditionally been a bond fund. However, the bond market has been dog shit for years, so choose at your own discretion. Bond funds are very low-risk, though right now they are so shitty they became high risk due to being useless/negative drag in a portfolio. A good alternative is a value fund, which is a fund that tracks an index heavily weighted toward very well-established and "safe" stocks, like Coca-Cola. They don't grow much, but they do generate dividends that you should be rolling back into the fund to reinvest in more of it as the distributions pay out. This works great in a 401(k) 'cause you don't pay taxes on those dividends (in a taxable account you absolutely do, as I found last year when I started writing checks to the IRS!). Until you're a multimillionaire, you don't need to be more sophisticated than this. Anyone who says otherwise is probably trying to take your money or troll you. Lastly, if they offer a *Roth* 401(k) option, go that route until you have to start paying taxes out of pocket, or split your contributions to go half into a Roth, half into a Traditional. (Or, just do a Roth IRA for the Roth-half of your portfolio.) TL;DR Start with a target date fund, get the automated contributions going, then look into a 3-fund portfolio after a few months.

taimaishu6654

I'll do you one better, pick one fund max. FSKAX or FXIAX (if you have fidelity)

False_Comedian_6070

I totally agree with most of what you’re saying, but I personally prefer an optimized portfolio because I’m a strategy nerd and enjoy portfolio design. I used to invest $4000 a year into FSKAX but once I developed a portfolio I felt passionate about I now invest $40,000 a year. I put a lot of effort into making more money in order to invest more money. I wouldn’t have done that if I stuck with just 100% FSKAX, which was about as exciting as paying the IRS. But everyone is different. I think a one fund portfolio is the right approach for a lot of people.

SnS2500

The past ten years the total return on FSKAX is +273%. For VTI it is +278%. Since VT is worldwide and not just USA, its return the past ten years has been +198%.

SnS2500

Sure. One total US market ETF similar to FSKAX is VTI. Don't be in a hurry. Educate yourself then make decisions you are comfortable with, but it would be a good idea to at least buy a few shares of one or more ETFs now jut to see how they work.

Based_Commgnunism

The Fidelity mutual funds are good. FXAIX is S&P500. For total US market there's FSKAX and FZROX. The Vanguard equivalents VOO/VTI are also fine if you prefer an ETF. Or any of the other many low fee S&P500/total US funds. As to whether you prefer to hold S&P500 or total US it doesn't really matter as their performance is essentially the same. Total US market is technically more diversified so I'd go for that if you only plan to hold one US fund. For international there's FTIHX or FZILX, or VXUS. I'd recommend holding them at market cap weights, so 65% US and 35% international. That way you just own the whole market. Another option is to buy VT, which is 65% VOO/35% VXUS in a single fund. With VT your whole portfolio can be just one fund. This also eliminates the need to do an annual rebalance. There are good reasons to hold small cap value funds, both US and international, but you shouldn't do it unless you really understand the thesis and why you are holding it and how it has performed recently and historically.

Historical_Low4458

You don't need both FXIAX and FSKAX in the same account. Sell one and put that money into the other.

Wise-Fig2930

Why not FSKAX over FXAIX

KpopFramer_23

stick to 3-5% max for sector funds like FSELX. think of it like debugging code... you want broad coverage first (FXAIX/FSKAX) then small targeted fixes. semiconductors are volatile but solid long term given AI/tech trends

grokfinance

I probably wouldn't do that. If you insist then I wouldn't put more than \~5% of your total portfolio into an industry specific fund such as FSELX. Also, you already get exposure to many of those same stocks through FXAIX. Personally, I'd swap out of FXAIX in favor of broader diversification like a total stock market index fund such as FSKAX, but using an S&P 500 fund isn't horrible.

West_Flounder2840

I max out the three tax advantaged accounts, regardless of market conditions every year all in on US Total Market Equities with FSKAX. 50/50 stocks/cash in my taxable brokerage account that I use as a vehicle to accelerate saving to pay off my mortgage. Tide goes in, tide goes out, you can’t explain that

andybmcc

FZILX is the zero international fund.  FTIHX is more diversified, so probably better.  It's still cheap.  That's a perfectly reasonable portfolio. I hold some FTIHX and FSKAX (similar to FZROX).

xiongchiamiov

Straightforward advice is HYSA, or a money market fund if you're willing to mess with a brokerage account. If the downpayment is large and you're in a high state income tax state, a t-bill fund's dividends will be exempt from that tax so may be worth it. If you've got a decade to work on this, you've got enough time to deal with turbulence. I might do an FSKAX / FTBFX combo starting at 80/20 and gliding to less equity via new contributions as the timeline approaches.

JMPHeinz57

Hi all, Asking the typical question of where to plant money aimed at being a down payment for a house. For context, my wife and I are in our mid-20s with no debt, a fully funded six month emergency fund, and own both our vehicles. We plan to buy a house in the next 8-10 years, but are deciding where to start saving towards a substantial down payment (aiming towards as much as possible). I guess the gist of my question is, would it be wiser to place our monthly savings for the down payment in a HYSA for the estimated 8-10 years, or invest it in a single index fund such as FXIAX or FSKAX in that time frame? I know that historical returns show that the investing would likely bring substantially more money, but more volatility especially with this current administration. Also, would FXIAX or FSKAX be the better single investment? Thanks!

AvailableLiving1849

FSKAX, has around 3900 stocks and represents the total market. With an expense ratio of .01 to .02%. FDGRX holds less than 600 stocks and has an expense ration of .52% (Expense ratios are important BUT shouldn't stop you if the performance/risk profile is better, unless the expenses are outrageous) FSKAX has "average" risk. Meaning, you are accepting the risk of the entire market. FDGRX has more risk because the concentration is focused on growth. FSKAX has about 1% dividend yield so some companies pay dividends. FDGRX has a 0% (or very close) dividend yield so the companies focus is appreciation only. As you can tell by the expense ratios, FSKAX is passively managed. FDGRX is actively managed. By sector: FSKAX is 31% Tech, 14% Financial services, 11% Consumer cyclicals, 10% healthcare, 9% communications. FDGRX is 47% Tech, 16.5% Consumer cyclical, 13% Communications. 11% healthcare. <5% Financial services. Based on past performance, FDGRX should(don't hold me to it) outperform. BUT(always), will likely have more volatility. If you can stand the drops in Tech when that happens, and ride it out, it might work out a lot better. I am an ETF (VTI, VUG) person. But Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, all carry the same(or so close) products. As someone pointed out yesterday, there seems to be a fascination(cult following?) with Invesco. Go figure. Just be consistent in contributing, and MAX out your Roth IRA every year. As I am near/at retirement, the Roth provides so much more flexibility, and also in estate planning because it avoids probate.(Unless the rules change). Best of luck. Just keep at it.

EquivalentTale7417

What would the difference be in just having FSKAX versus splitting it up with FDGRX? Th3 investment horizon is well over 10 years.

AvailableLiving1849

Avoid international funds. Here is why. You subject yourself to direct investment, including currency exposure. US companies in VOO have 40% of their business from international sources. You already have that exposure with FSKAX, FDGRX, and some in FSSMX. The thought of international funds came from the 1960s and 1970s when companies like McDonalds had 5% of their business outside the USA. Now they have about 60%. Tech companies (most like Apple, NVDA) get about 50% from outside the USA. That exposure is there. If your investment horizon is longer than 10 years, you would be better served to keep FSKAX, and FDGRX split evenly, or maybe slightly more in FSKAX. You can find ETFs that do the same thing. If you are not trading or looking at it constantly, (you shouldn't), then mutual funds are fine.

False_Comedian_6070

VTI means you’re betting on the total us market. Don’t think about how it compares to other funds, like VOO. Just tell yourself you’re investing in all us companies, big and small, so when the us economy does well you’ll do well. If you want peak performance you’ll need a higher risk tolerance and be willing to invest in riskier funds that might underperform for long periods of time or crash hard in market downturns. VOO has outperformed VTI just because large cap growth has been dominate for the last decade. Typically VTI outperforms due to exposure to small caps and mid caps. If you want exposure beyond the US do VT for the broadest exposure to over 5000 companies around the world. I think this is superior to VTI+VXUS because if the US ever loses world dominance then the fund will reallocate away from US companies. I personally prefer 100% VTI due to having more faith in the US economy than the rest of the world. When I started investing that’s what I did (but FSKAX instead of VTI). After a few years I became more comfortable with investing and decided to add more risk to my portfolio with more concentrated funds.

False_Comedian_6070

VTI means you’re betting on the total us market. Don’t think about how it compares to other funds, like VOO. Just tell yourself you’re investing in all us companies, big and small, so when the us economy does well you’ll do well. If you want peak performance you’ll need a higher risk tolerance and be willing to invest in riskier funds that might underperform for long periods of time or crash hard in market downturns. VOO has outperformed VTI just because large cap growth has been dominate for the last decade. Typically VTI outperforms due to exposure to small caps and mid caps. If you want exposure beyond the US do VT for the broadest exposure to over 5000 companies around the world. I think this is superior to VTI+VXUS because if the US ever loses world dominance then the fund will reallocate away from US companies. I personally prefer 100% VTI due to having more faith in the US economy than the rest of the world. When I started investing that’s what I did (but FSKAX instead of VTI). After a few years I became more comfortable with investing and decided to add more risk to my portfolio with more concentrated funds.

EquivalentTale7417

Would FSKAX be preferred to something that's tracks the S&P500? I believe I will do the 80/20 split; however, I see some saying to do the whole US market and some saying to do the S&P500.

Far-Enthusiasm-5995

It’s awesome that you’re getting a Roth going early on. FSKAX already owns the whole U.S. market (large, mid and small), so you don’t need to layer on FDGFX or FSSMX to get exposure to dividends or small caps — you’re doubling up on the same companies and paying higher fees for the active fund. FZILX adds international stocks, which is a nice complement if you want some non‑U.S. exposure. A lot of people keep it simple by doing something like 80 % FSKAX and 20 % FZILX, or just picking a target‑date index fund and calling it a day. If you enjoy the idea of tilting toward dividends or small‑caps, you can do that with a small percentage, but you don’t have to. The most important parts are keeping costs low, staying diversified, and sticking with your plan for decades.

abeBroham-Linkin

If you just haze FZILX and FSKAX, you've pretty much covered everything you'd need. It's recommended that they're either split 70/30 or 80/20 depending on tolerance. The other indexes would be covered pretty much by FSKAX as it's the TOTAL market.

ILoveKombucha

If you are new to investing (or even if you aren't new), you should be really careful about picking individual stocks. The vast majority of your portfolio should be in broad, well diversified index funds - things that track either the entire US stock market (VTI, FSKAX, etc), or that track the S&P 500 (VOO, FXAIX, etc). You would also do well to consider investing in a very broad international stock fund (basically holding all the stocks of the world, something like VXUS, or FTIHX, etc.). And finally, you should consider whether or not holding any bonds in a bond fund (like BND, FXNAX, FUMBX, etc) makes sense for you, based on age and risk level. You should consider buying individual stocks in the same way you would consider gambling. I'd recommend no more than 5-10% of your total portfolio for "gambling" (stock picking). Folks who try to pick winners (as you are trying to do) are (far) more likely to underperform the market than to outperform it. There are people who do outperform the market by picking individual stocks, but these are usually folks who know a lot about what they are doing. It's not easy to do consistently, and a lot of people (similar to gamblers) tend to focus on their winning picks, and downplay their losing picks. Stick to index funds until you have a very solid grasp of what you are doing (judging by your comments in this thread, you don't!), and even then... stick to index funds (IMO).

Nyroughrider

Meh. 10 year annualized returns... SPY 13.56% FSKAX 12.97% Def not losing sleep over that.

CapeMOGuy

Adding some specifics to smash brother's comment for OP, some total US market funds are VTI, VTIAX, FSKAX. A couple of International total market funds are VXUS, VTWAX and FTIHX. Actually, there are even total world funds like VT, VTWAX, AVGE (has a small and value tilt) and DFAW.

martin-life-learner

The good news is that for a long-term investor in a Roth IRA, the **ETF vs. Mutual Fund** debate is far less important than your actual asset allocation. In many cases (like at Vanguard), they are just different wrappers for the exact same underlying assets. Crucially, because you're in a Roth, the biggest historical advantage of ETFs—their superior tax efficiency in a *taxable* account—is **completely irrelevant**. All your growth is tax-free anyway. The choice really comes down to practical differences and investing behavior. Here’s a simple breakdown: **Choose Mutual Funds if:** * **You want to AUTOMATE everything.** This is their superpower. You can set up recurring investments like "$500 on the 1st of every month" and never have to think about it again. It puts your wealth-building on autopilot. * **You want to invest exact dollar amounts.** You can invest precisely $100.00, ensuring all your money goes to work immediately without any leftover cash. * **You want to be protected from your own worst instincts.** Mutual funds only trade once per day at the closing price. This is a feature, not a bug, as it prevents you from panic-selling in the middle of a volatile day. **Choose ETFs if:** * **You want the flexibility to trade like a stock.** You can buy or sell any time the market is open and use more advanced order types like limit orders. * **The ETF version has a significantly lower expense ratio.** For major index funds, this gap has mostly disappeared (e.g., Vanguard's `$VTI` ETF and `$VTSAX` mutual fund have nearly identical fees), but it's worth checking. * **Your broker offers commission-free ETFs but charges for the mutual funds you want.** This is less common now with major brokers like Fidelity, Vanguard, and Schwab, but it can be a factor. **The Bottom Line:** For 99% of people focused on long-term, "set it and forget it" wealth building in a Roth, the ability to **auto-invest into a low-cost index mutual fund** is the single biggest advantage. It automates good behavior. * At **Fidelity**, this would be a fund like `$FSKAX` (Total Market Index). * At **Vanguard**, this would be `$VTSAX` (Total Stock Market Index). You truly can't go wrong with the ETF equivalents (`$ITOT` or `$VTI`) either. Don't let this decision paralyze you. The most important step is to pick one and start investing consistently.

Machine8851

I think your strategy is well rounded but I dont like total market funds, would much prefer VOO or FXAIX over FSKAX. Also I dont like international funds personally like FTIHX, I personally would rather use gold and bitcoin ETFS and hold long term than any international fund.

Kris_Mettew

In terms of your investment strategy, it makes sense that you’re leaning toward aggressive growth given your age and time horizon. The portfolios you’re considering are all solid, and honestly, you can’t really go wrong between them, but there are a few nuances that might help you fine-tune the decision. Your first option using FSKAX, FTEC, and international exposure like FTIHX or FZILX is probably the most well-rounded aggressive strategy. It gives you broad US market exposure, tilts toward high-growth sectors with tech, and still includes global diversification. That kind of setup gives you a good shot at outperformance without putting everything on one bet. The only thing to be mindful of is the tech overweight, it can swing hard in either direction, so just be ready to stomach the volatility. The second option with VOO and QQQ has a bit more redundancy, since QQQ and VOO overlap a lot in holdings. You’re really doubling down on large-cap US, and particularly tech-heavy names. That could work really well if the AI-driven rally keeps pushing, but it’s also the most momentum-heavy of the choices. The risk there is you’re paying a premium for assets that have already had a big run, which can hurt if there’s a correction. The third option, mostly FSKAX and FTIHX, is simpler and probably smoother in terms of performance. It gives you great global diversification and lower volatility, but it’s also the most conservative of the three in terms of growth potential. That might be totally fine depending on your risk tolerance, especially if you want to leave some room for life purchases like the house or the boat. If it were me, I’d lean slightly toward option one. It captures a strong long-term growth trajectory while still spreading risk across sectors and geographies. You can always adjust over time if tech gets too overheated or if international markets underperform. And honestly, with your income and age, you’ve got plenty of room to take some calculated risks now and shift more defensively later. One last note, it’s smart that you’re considering the house and surf boat, but maybe segment your capital a bit. Keep some in HYSA or short-duration bonds if you know you’ll need it in the next year or two, and invest the rest with a 5+ year horizon. That’ll keep you from having to sell during a downturn if something big comes up.

ServerTechie

FSKAX and FSPSX are pretty solid choices for a Roth. No, I don’t recommend FXAIX in a brokerage, but only because it’s a mutual fund which pays capital gains, and therefore impacts taxes. Besides that it’s just an S&P500 index which is fine. I’m 47 and hold an FBTC position in a Roth that I contribute to every week. It might be one of the riskiest things I invest in but the gains have been great. I don’t know anything about the stocks you mention, generally I try to avoid individual stocks and opt for professionally managed ETFs to mitigate risk.

HailState901

Well in Fidelity IRA, I prefer FSKAX/FXAIX and VXUS. But VOO or VTI is fine in Roth IRA. In taxable I prefer VOO and VXUS

Suspicious-Fish7281

FSKAX

McKnuckle_Brewery

There is nothing special about Vanguard mutual funds. They were just the first index funds, thanks to founder John Bogle. So they get a lot of mention. There is nothing to be gained by buying VTSAX over VOO. Do not buy Vanguard mutual funds at Fidelity, as there is a fee for doing so. Buy Fidelity native mutual funds instead. They are absolutely equivalent in every way. VTSAX = FSKAX, and VFIAX = FXAIX, to give two common examples. You can always buy VOO, an ETF, at any brokerage with no fees. And there's no reason at all to switch to mutual funds instead of that.

mrdiazbeats

Do you need the money? SPAXX, CDs, or HYSA. Do you not need the money? DCA into an ETF(VTI) or mutual fund(FXAIX or FSKAX) Do you REALLY not need the money? Invest in individual stocks or companies you like or think will do well in the future. Do you hate money? SPY calls for late this year and get ready to gamble it all.

decomposition_

Some shitty advice in here — what I do is give my criteria for good stocks to ChatGPT and ask it to find stocks that fulfill it. This is important, do NOT buy it just because ChatGPT mentioned it. Next, go through that list of stocks that fit your criteria and do solid research on their financials, deals, c suite people and put whatever % of this 1000 you feel comfortable with into the good ones. Then take a modest chunk of that remaining $1000 and just put into a regular fund similar to FSKAX or SPY.

veteran_of_disorder

Thanks for pointing me in some good directions for things to research. I I am cycling between overconfidence/hubris, and stark anxiety at my foolishness for not being entirely in boglehead etfs/ . Also I bought some books on trading options . I am not completely on the sidelines . I did grab a few things at the bottom . FSKAX 20,000 + Gold 25,000 + AMZN 2000 + RDDT 2000 + Goog 2000 + RKLB 7000 + targeted retirement IRA 28000 BTC 35000 and in the new 401k GOOG 7000 IBIT 5000 CLBR 10,000 + 1669

nkyguy1988

FSKAX hasn't paid a capital gains distribution since 2019. If that trend continues, there will be next to zero appreciable difference in tax efficiency.

steiner_math

I have my Roth IRA in Fidelity 100% in FSKAX

HairyDuck

I split mine between FSKAX and FTIHX

caashmerr

Keep it simple and stick with VT or FSKAX. IMO either of these funds will be diverse enough for your timeline of 30 years

mrBigBoi

I think that next year I will do 50% FSKAX, 30% stocks and 20% FBTC.  I don’t believe in crypto and hate it but this is a bias that didn’t let me buy META at $100 years ago.

1kpointsoflight

Open a Roth IRA and put 7k a year into VTI or FSKAX until you run out.

Ok_Assignment4100

For my respective retirement investment accounts currently: 401k has Vanguard TDF 2065 and Roth IRA has FSKAX, FTIHX and FXNAX. My 401k plan doesn't have great options aside from Fidelity's S&P 500 (FXAIX), so just opted for TDF for it's diversification. Thoughts?

QVP1

After you max both 401k and IRA every year, if you still have more that you want to invest, then sure just a total market index fund in a taxable brokerage account. If it's Vanguard, then VTSAX/VTI If Fidelity, then FSKAX And if you have a qualifying health insurance plan at work, then contribute to an HSA too. Listen to this podcast. Yes, investing really is this stupid simple. [https://www.morningstar.com/podcasts/the-long-view/c8a0b64e-0df8-4fc3-90d7-09bcd38544fd?utm\_medium=referral&utm\_campaign=linkshare&utm\_source=link](https://www.morningstar.com/podcasts/the-long-view/c8a0b64e-0df8-4fc3-90d7-09bcd38544fd?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=linkshare&utm_source=link)

Newbiewhitekicks

How were you going to invest it? Remember that unless you open an IRA there will be tax consistencies if you invest it and sell anything. You should google how much this money will compound to if you stick it in FSKAX till you’re 40

Newbiewhitekicks

5 years is an insignificant period of time when analyzing performance. QQQ(M) is just 100 stocks that trade just on the NASDAQ and it doesn’t include financials. It also includes Pepsi but not coke because that’s what trades on the NASDAQ. I’m not sure why anyone would want that. These kinds of risks are called “uncompensated risks.” Anyway, if these 100 companies do well then they do really well, but if they stop doing well then it crashes hard. Generally speaking you don’t want this kind of volatility. If you truly want to invest this money, and you should, then you want VTI (a vanguard product) or FSKAX (a fidelity product) or SCHB (a Schwab product). Which brokerage are you using?

QVP1

You're gonna be a very rich retiree. :) After 401k and IRA are both maxed every year and you still want to invest more. A simple index fund in a taxable brokerage is all you need. If you use Vanguard, then VTSAX. If Fidelity, then FSKAX, but you could do VTI if you prefer. They're essentially all the same. I don't even bother with HYSA. You can get everything in a single brokerage. In either Fidelity or Vanguard, just buy the total market index fund, then for however much cash you want to keep in reserve, leave that in the money market fund. You really don't need to do anything else. You can also buy Treasuries and/or CDs in the same account too, but that's not really necessary unless you really want to lock in a specific rate for a specific pre-defined future expense or ladder for a series of expenses. I am 100% Roth IRA and a taxable brokerage. Nothing else.

AICHEngineer

And the best thing is, *you* can beat the average investor as simply as possible. What "one size fits all" basically always means "one size fits none", by definition the average portfolio is the market cap weight portfolio. Simply holding this portfolio beats most active management options, *especially* after the fees they charge. You can buy a proportional share of all public US companies for ridiculously low price of 0.03% per year, its astonishing how cheap index investing has become. If you buy *and hold* (dont try to time the market), you will beat more than half of all investors easily. In financial academia, we call this the "investor return vs invest*ment* return". The investment (just buying in holding), statistically outperforms the average retail investor, even if theyre buying and selling the exact same fund, because theyre emotional, switching between fear and greed, selling when the market drops and missing the rebounds, sometimes ignoring paying off high interest debts to shovel money in near market highs and needing to sell to cover payments during a crash. Just buy a total market fund like VT for the whole world or VTI or SCHB or FSKAX for the entire USA market alone. Theyre cheap expense ratio (share price does not matter, they move the same % each day, the ETF price is just an arbitrary proxy for the underlying index constituents), theyre tax efficient, theyre hands off.

EMPAEinstein

I'm about to turn 40 and had a similar thought but my approach was somewhat different. My student loans will be paid off at the end of the year at which time I'll be contributing approx. 44% or 264k per year between employer profit sharing, maxing out 401k's and taxable accounts. My spouse and I's retirement goal is >=10 mill in equities by 57/58 when our daughter goes off to college. We can either continue investing into FSKAX/VTSAX for the full 264k until our goal retirement age which at a 7% RoR would be > 10 mill or go 214k in index funds and 50k per year into VBTLX to build up a dividend portfolio that could generate 250-300k per year without ever having to touch the principle. The latter method would total about 9 mill in equities and 5 mill in VBTLX (2 mill through yearly investing, 1 mill from conversion of equities into VBTLX, and another 2 mill from the sale of our home). We can absorb the taxable dividends due to our combined income but figured this was a better method than a huge tax big from large equity sale closer towards retirement. Thoughts are appreciated.

EMPAEinstein

After student loans are paid off this year. 264k/yr or 22k/month. 600 HHI essentially all FSKAX OR VTSAX depending on which account.