VOO

smcvay2024

As a student I’d focus on a growth ETF such as SCHG and then some other ETFs such as VOO and SPY. With a long investing timeline I’d focus about 60-70% growth.

Appropriate-Delay-66

Take that profit and pop into VOO !

jabs09

Low cost index ETF like VTI/VOO it’s better that way

ra__account

People invest for income, people invest for medium term purchases like a house in 10 years, people invest for retirement. And other things. Knowing what you're trying to do is important to give accurate advice. If you're investing for retirement, you should not be selling. You buy VTI/VOO or equivalent and you sit on it until retirement. You want to move as much of it as you can into a tax shelter. Are you legally documenting any of what income you do have? That's a requirement to have either an IRA or self employment 401(k).

AlfredoCustard

Should have invested in VOO instead

besthuman

VOO / VFV No options. Just that. Slow(ish) gains are better than big losses.

boogi3woogie

VOO and chill

Delicious_Put_5857

VOO

whitenoize086

Usually telling them to go VOO or VTI doesn't work out cause what if the crash comes. I start by getting them to open a brokerage and go full SGOV. Then remind them of the VTI gains comparatively over time.

spilledonwhite

About the same as VOO minus all of my free time.

brother7

If you haven't selected a broker, consider Fidelity. You can automate weekly purchases of VOO. They allow fractional shares. Be sure to set Dividends and Capital Gains to REINVEST.

Rav_3d

Agree with VOO/QQQM split. Many will tell you it's too heavily weighted to large cap technology. They are right, and I see that as an advantage. As for individual stocks, if you're willing to take more risk with a small portion of your portfolio you can do very well, but choose the wrong stocks and fail to manage risk and it can turn out poorly. Stick with elite market leaders and DCA.

teddyevelynmosby

That is the beauty of investment, no different than holding TSLA, NVDA or AMD at the early days it is all about conviction and risk taking. If something that easy like borrow money to the tits and dump it in VOO and wake up 20 years you will out win any payday loan rate, be my guest. (Not a investment advice but I am esger to see

Dizzy-Monk-

FUCK STOCK PICKING!!!! I’m going back to VOO

AcceptableReason1380

But you’re losing compared to VOO

milkplantation

Nothing will survive a true crash. Outside of short term treasuries, everything will get crushed. A market correction is inevitable, but we also can't predict the cause or type of market decline, so it's difficult to forecast which ETFs will fair better. As an example, VOO's valuation is very rich, while VXUS has a lower valuation. Logic would suggest that VXUS is priced for more growth over the long term, but few could have predicted the current issues in the Middle East. Global and emerging markets are more sensitive to fluctuations in oil prices than the U.S., and accordingly, when Hormuz was shut down, VXUS was hit harder in the drawdown. So, as the saying goes, "diversification is the only free lunch in investing." With that said, you could buy the whole market with 80-90% of your portfolio in something like VT total world ETF. Or, you could mix VTI and VXUS to a ratio that suits you. It's also worth noting, though not an ETF, Berkshire Hathaway is a diverse holding company and stock with the most downside protection. They have 400 billion dollars on the sidelines in the event that a crash does occur. They also have a floor in how far the stock can actually fall as they buy back their own shares with that 400 billion if the price decreases enough. They also hold a lot of recession proof businesses like railways and energy companies. The stock tends to underperform the market during a bull run, of which we're currently in, so you will have to accept less portfolio growth in the near term in exchange for that downside protection. One last note, keep your cash in a high-interest savings account (HISA) or buy short term treasuries (T-Bills). Both HISA's and T-Bills are often called cash equivalents. They'll mitigate the capital loss caused by inflation while giving you modest returns with zero downside risk. SGOV is an ETF that acts like short term treasuries, paying you out with a dividend by holding government debt. Look into how this works. It adds up.

Killsocket1

I was under the assumption that if you have the time, as in you aren't retiring inside of 5 years, that a solid portfolio is you could/should put that 30% you have in cash right into that VOO and make it a 60/40 split.

hymie-the-robot

if you run a backtest on your proposal, over the last 12 years, in round numbers, maximum drawdown could reach 25%, vs 35% for VOO. consider whether your allocation will be sufficiently comfortable, and whether it's worth giving up return (about 1/3 less in backtests) by holding cash.

flapinux

I’d go with VUG over VOO

Fit-Marionberry5248

I’ll give you free advice:  Buy Index tracker (VOO etc) and Investor AB (Europe Berkshire)  Even if they go -50% then you have bigger problems than your portfolio 

__redruM

That’ll do for the SPY/VOO fund.

No_Feeling920

From VOO to 0DTE options. You call this "progress"? 🤡 You're going to FAFO real quick.

TransientVoltage409

As someone who held too much cash for too long, even knowing that it was a bad idea, I can confirm there can be a strong emotional component. It isn't vulnerable to reasoning. The certainty of cash is comforting. Even knowing its value slowly decays, there's virtually no possibility for it to truly crash. Equities can do that and it's scary. I don't know what to tell you about beating the fear. For me, in a way it was like jumping off the high dive for the first time. Rationally I know it's pretty safe, I can see all my friends are doing it and having a blast, but it's still scary and I don't wanna. Even knowing the numbers, even knowing the rational moves and long term probabilities, it's scary. But finally I started buying just a little of VOO and friends, enough to matter but not enough to miss. That felt OK so I did a little more, did some QQQ, even a couple of sector funds (energy and shipping). Eventually I got lured in to my bank's investment office and (after months of stewing about it) let them set me up with the bulk of my cash. I know, I know, my bank's investment office isn't optimal. But as they pointed out, even with their fee I'm making a lot more than my cash was. I don't have the capacity nor desire to micromanage my investments, it's a thing I'm OK paying a professional to help me with.

spilledonwhite

About even with VOO after spending all my free time on it.

Fission-235

"$1 you left in cash since 2020 is now worth \~78 cents in real terms. $1 invested in $VOO grew to \~$2.55 today." Most people are not actually leaving their money in their mattress. Cash is a loose definition. HYSA at 3.5% is cash. I also consider any of the physical trust I hold as cash. I wait and then deploy that cash when I see value in the market. Your cherry picked 6 year window with a very specific investment vehicle will not age well in the coming years if you are not diversified. Chart the S&P/ interest rates over the last 100 years. You will notice the the S&P losses half of those years compared to bonds. I’m not saying invest in bonds. Now chart the S&P compared to Gold, Silver, Oil, Copper, and the S&P is a loser for half of those years. Considering we are on a historical long run for the S&P for 16 years straight, and we are coming off the lowest interest rates ever during those 6 years, and commodities have been underfunded for exploration for the last 15-30 years, do you think there is possibly going to be a shift in where money gets invested over the next few years? Keep in mind, most of those companies in the S&P are at least indirectly related to said commodities. All the energy that is required to run those data centers and make those chips and mine those materials, all the silver and plastics and silicone and lithium, and helium etc… Prices have to go up to incentivize the exploration in these commodities at some point. And it’s at that point that money rotates out of the S&P and goes into commodities. Plus when these commodities go up in price the cost of business for Tech goes up. The S&P will eventually go through a stagnation period as the supporting infrastructures need a rotation of capital. At this point the S&P will be equivalent to keeping cash under the mattress for a few years. It’s just hard to tell when those years will happen and for exactly how long they will happen. All you can do is diversify out of the S&P and take some profits now, reinvest in some good valued areas, then rinse and repeat back into the S&P along the way.

CornerOne238

Maybe your FA is just on vacation? Tbh 85k is such a small amount I wouldn't be surprised if he's managing it using algorithms or just as an afterthought. It sounds like you are trying to avoid realized gains. If that's the case just buying SPYM or VOO yourself would be much easier.

Music4thesoul10

so for those who really really don't understand investing, know that they definitely should, wants to pay the lowest of fees, simply deposit money in to my account each montha dn simply forget it is to invest in VOO and that's it....

AlmostAsianJim

My only greens this year have been my $VOO buys. Everything else was dumpster fire.

insertadjective

I get what you're saying, and agree with it (hell, the vast majority of my money is in VOO.) But hasn't VOO only been around since 2010, so about 16 years? And most of that time it's been around is during the longest bull run in history. Is it possible to say what its performance is over a 20+ year period?

leaning_on_a_wheel

Show them average inflation vs. average HYSA gains vs. average VOO gains. If they still don’t get it, don’t talk to them about money 🤷🏻‍♂️

MenopauseMedicine

The advisor will suggest investments upon which they get a commission in addition to the fee you're already paying them regardless of the performance of that investment. After ensuring you have an emergency fund. Open a Schwab account, put all your money it, buy VOO or VTI. You just saved a lot of money.

sexyshadyshadowbeard

Actually, you should invest in VOO or VTI or SPY because you don’t understand. It’s investing in stocks in its simplest form for a novice investor. Most on here suggest VOO because it’s the lowest fee structure of all of these very similar investments. It’s also the index to measure any advisors worth (ie is s/he beating this index?).

BaronBeard

Do you all meet with your advisor occasionally to check in on your goals and making sure youre on track? I think the better way of thinking of an advisor is not someome whose going to make you richer than you could be potentialy not paying an advisor. Its more about helping you set goals and make sure you achieve them and make sure you know why you are doing what you are doing and dont get off track. Advisor fees hurt returns, but so does freaking out and panic selling. Panic jumping in and out of the marketa Buying high and selling low will drain you faster than a .7% fee ever will. Its also easy to say dont panic untill you panic. Having someone who can put things into perspective and keep you from being your worst enemy has its value. Also cause everyone keeps saying just throw it all in VOO probably do because it would be fine for them. Not everyone is the same. Hell Not everyone saying so actually can probably stomach the rollercoaster that can be a 100% equity position. I also doubt everyone saying that has a 6 months fully funded emergency fund. If they suddenly had a 20k expense they probably cant cover it without selling something or debt. Sucks that the market was down the month the car broke down. Basically if you feel good having an advisors thats good, make sure they are providing value and you feel the value is worth the cost.

throwaway-4748329472

Ain’t no way you’re matching VOO over 3+ years trading like that

Music4thesoul10

Thanks for responding...Well, I know most people these days seem to manage their own money via VOO. I wanted some advice. maybe what to ask him.. also mention my mother has no intentions of leaving him.. we're very happy with job he does for her and i'm sure he'll be a big help down road if godforbid she needs to withdraw money for health reasons and advisors can be helpful that way? I just don't want to upset the relationship I suppose? I would think people can understand that>?

redhill_qik

The VOO expense ratio is 0.03%. You are an additional 7% on top of that which is 23.3 times more to do something that you can do yourself and that you already think it's not being handled correctly. The 0.7% may still cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

1967C10

Simply communicating with a financial advisor sounds like more work than just auto-buying low cost index funds that track the S&P500, such as FXAIX or VOO. It's pretty simple.

1967C10

The least exciting investment strategy always finds a way to win. I like 90%+ into VOO/FXAIX low cost index funds and the rest do as you please (international, single stocks etc).

letsreset

then understanding is probably going to be some of the best ROI of anything you can do in your life. you learn how to uh...buy VOO and set-it and forget-it, and save that 1% fee? we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your working career. go look up 'the money guy show' on youtube, spend a few hours watching some of their videos. that's enough information to save you hundreds of thousands.

OutspokenLurker

If the advisor charges $300/year, probably OK if he's checking every few months like that. But why even have an advisor? Just put it in VOO or VTI and so some self-study over the next 20 years while it grows.

Lunchabel97

Lmao 1.8% you would have been better off putting it in VOO

Xzlk

“Shoestring budget” active management is dead. Your everyday 1-2B firm managing client money is in for a rude awakening when they try to position around 99% algos. They’ll just learn to index, and need to justify their 1% fee in other ways. These active managers are missing rally’s because yes, you’re correct. It just doesn’t work anymore. VOO & QQQ tho? Doing the business this year per usual.

Sick0h

Bruh my VOO auto DCA even lost money today. Fidelity makes sure they time that shit right at the top for ya.

Abject_Wish_3787

Anyone still believe memory DED, can offload here and buy VOO

stonksf

I have $1 Million in VOO AMA

spilledonwhite

I thought about that today maybe being a smart idea. With the positions mixed I have sold VOO for cash to buy high-beta before. "Just temporarily, I'll put it back after this play."

Original_Ad_3481

I’m not sure but I just keep buying QQQ and VOO every month and it’s been working out fantastic.

Even-Celebration9384

Sell if you can match with something with gains. (I.e. if you have a gain in SPY, sell your SLV losses and sell your SPY gains so that they cancel out. Replace spy with VOO) The wheel does not make sense as a strategy especially for a commodity imo. Are we vol sellers or are we not? Why are we not selling the same deltas? Maybe for a value stock if you have a line in the sand but silver’s value is speculative. There are no cash flows to draw a line in the sand Also stop doing this. You are just handing market makers money. You have no idea what you’re doing. If you want to own silver because you like it, just buy it and put it in a safe or just buy and hold the ETF if you must.

GatorBo69

It’s all individual stocks, over 200+ stocks so that way there’s no expense ratio (since I’m obvs paying them, lol) I’m pretty impressed with their choices but have to admit I would NEVER have picked what they have.. They obvs have strong positions in the Mag7 stocks, but also BP, Amex, Lilly, ASML, CAT, Coca Cola, Citi, I mean I could go on.. Stocks from S&P, Dow, Nasdaq and spread fairly evenly across recognizable names, but they change their positions based on the market and trends… My portfolio isn’t heavy in any one sector, which I actually like, but I can’t deny the performance is astounding. Surprisingly I have no positions in RKLB or SpaceX as of now, but I did start my own brokerage account that only has like $115k in it where I try to “beat Fisher” but have never been able to come close. I basically follow the standard playbook that most people use: 50% VTI, 30% VXUS, 20% VOO, but I recently opened a $40k position in FSELX at the beginning of the year that has been performing amazingly, especially since I opened it in the middle of March, lol. I try to always have $100k in liquid cash in my HYSA so I can jump into a position during a market downturn. Trump made a pattern in his first term that I have been able to benefit greatly from, last year when he announced the tariffs I threw all of my $100k over to Fisher, and then this year when I saw he was getting ready to do the same thing in late January with the Iraq war I asked Fisher to exit my positions, gave them $60k and asked them to wait until March to reinvest, and that’s when I used the other $40k to open my own holding in FSELX.. But I’m not ballsy enough to do what you did!! And I gotta say, it will most def pay off, bc we have never had a President that has manipulated the market more, and I absolutely love it, lol

spilledonwhite

I backtest straight VOO and target date fund pretty often but I hear you. Honestly the loss porn here helps me not get greedy/full regard. I was just going to dip my toe in on options with like 1 single contract otm SPY 0DTE to see how it plays.

Particular_Maize6849

If you have any high interest debt (i.e. credit card debt), put it towards that first. If you don't have any savings at all, put it in an HYSA that you will try to build up to at least a months of expenses. If that's all taken care of, only then start to invest. Put it in VTI or VOO or something. Don't pick individual stocks.

spilledonwhite

Yeah their extreme dogma is annoying, like there is nothing to discuss there so what is the point? They just pat themselves on the back for holding VOO for 30 years. But I still respect them more than valueinvesting.

Asleep_Mess5264

You’re already 90 percent of the way there just by wanting to set it and forget it tbh. VOO, SCHD, maybe a bit of VXUS if you want international, then auto invest every paycheck and ignore the noise. The hardest part is not tinkering when the market is red, so set it up, don’t look too often, and let time do the heavy lifting.

spilledonwhite

I basically spend all of my free time on this only to meet the performance of VOO.

spilledonwhite

I basically spend all of my free time on this to meet the performance of VOO.

SpotlessCheetah

I have a lot of theories/reasons... 1. and probably likely the biggest is that it's considered a funding short. This had been confirmed by Dan Loeb for one. 2. The market cap is very high, and it should be higher, the markets might not reward it without other players moving higher up into the multi-trillion dollar club. 3. Probably the more obvious one - Nvidia has 3 days per week of options contracts, and at $200 people like to sell calls/puts on it. Nvidia is routinely a top 10 traded daily mover by volume. It is a bit volatile but not crazy like Micron/Intel right now but we're moving a hundred billion per week w/ this stock and so collecting options premiums can be lucrative. 4. Investors got bored and want to chase other emerging players like AMD etc...which should be hit hard against the other narratives when other companies also are coming out w/ their own ASICS. 5. Nvidia was a larger part of a lot of ETFs and it has shrunk in weight to allow other companies to grow in. Check popular ETFs, like VOO, SOXX, SMH etc and if you can find some older sheets, you'll see Nvidia was a bit different. 6. Grouped w/ hyperscalers and the financing concerns. Mag7 and specifically hypers are kinda suffering right now while small/mids are taking off. Def a few theories I have, I know parts are true, but a lot of this trading is happening automatically. Retail cannot move a $5t dollar stock all day.

Eves98

Really if suggest just putting your money into something like VOO while you learn. Have you looked into PMCC? Or simply the wheel?

Difficult_Fact_2849

SPMO beats VOO…no reason to be in VOO

scrambledOrFried1234

I’m not saying the majority are financially incapable, there’s plenty of research that already shows this. Statistics say less than 29% of the world’s population have net assets worth $100K or more, and that less than 5% have liquid or available invested assets of $100K or more. Now let’s focus on the USA, a concentration zone for this cohort. The US Centre for National Education Statistics regularly finds around 35% of US adults have poor numeracy skills, meaning they struggle with calculating percentages; interpreting graphs and tables; comparing prices and working with interest rates. The annual TIAA Institute/GFLEC Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index) consistently finds the average American answers only 50% of financial literacy questions correctly and only around 1 in 5 demonstrate a high level of financial literacy. I come into this sub and there’s an overwhelming discourse on buying and holding VOO or whatever S&P tracker, when the AI bubble will burst or, even worse, timing the markets. There’s not a single sensible conversation about asset allocation, tax mitigation, financial objectives, retirement planning, estate planning or the merits of different asset classes relative to the risks, returns and tax treatment.

Few_Wind6165

100 per week, laag risico, goede return VOO THE BEST

UnnecessaryPancake

MSFT and META are my hedge against my VOO and Semis in my Roth IRA.

Successful-Tea-5733

I'm in VOO, QQQM, VUG and SPMO. I've got exposure to over 500 companies of various weightings, and while all are US the majority do business internationally giving me broad exposure. Although Charlie Munger would have called this "Deworsification" and that I should instead concentrate in a few great companies instead of a bunch of crappy companies. I don't own gold. I don't know why I would own gold, I'm not a jewler and I don't build consumer electronics.

Paul_Robert_

$VOO and chill for like a century 💀

MaybeTheDoctor

Yes, VOO or a Vangard Target Date fund would be the right choice for someone like you who is a passive investor.

Pallid_Pallas_

If you want to set and forget, why are people using VOO and not, say, VFIAX or VHYAX?

InvestorAllan

$VOO an s&p 500 etf

Inevitable-Love-4156

You’re already 90% of the way there just by thinking “low and slow” and not “how do I 10x in a year.” VOO vs SPY is basically a coin flip, VOO has a slightly lower expense ratio so most people here lean that way for long term. Pick one, automate contributions every paycheck, don’t panic sell during crashes, and go touch grass for 10 to 20 years. That boring combo has beaten like 90% of active traders.

Playful-Fox-99

VOO / SPY with auto contributions is literally the “set it and forget it” meta, you’re on the right track. Pick one, don’t overthink it, set up automatic buys every paycheck, and focus on increasing your income so you can shovel more in. If you want to get slightly fancy later, you can add a small chunk to something like VXUS or IXUS for international, but 80 to 100 percent in S&P 500 and chill is a completely valid long term plan.

Vegetable-Ad1512

Not an advisor you can beat most advisors by Putting 60% in VOO , 20% in VXUS and 20 % in BND and don’t touch it

sonofalando

My VOO price target is $5000

Efficient-Fudge-3515

Tbh no matter how many people may disagree with me, you will almost certainly make more money over the long run just buying an ETF like VOO or VT and holding it. Most people who actively trade or use options drastically underperform VOO holders over a 20 year+ period. Ik this is the boring answer, but investing shouldn’t be fun, because that’s how it becomes gambling. Don’t ask me how I know.

dr_eh

I mean, if you buy VOO now, market crashes, stays down for ten years and then you retire, this can certainly happen and it's what we're trying to avoid. Isn't the normal advice to keep buying high? It's high right now.

__redruM

Given you’re 35, yes a split between QQQ and SPY does make sense. But maybe 60% SPY (as VOO) and 40% QQQ (as QQQM) makes more sense than 50/50. International is usually recommended as well so maybe 10% VXUS. Don’t touch individual stocks, the two index funds give you allocations of those “Bluechip” stocks. And certainly don’t mess with Elon’s stocks they not worth touching short or long.

Valuable-Jury1917

VOO is perfect for what you are describing. Pick an amount you can auto invest every month, ignore the noise, and let time do the heavy lifting. If you want to get slightly fancier later you can add a total world fund like VXUS, but you really do not need it to win long term.

AlmostAsianJim

Evertime I get the urge to buy a beaten down stock, I’ll just punch myself in the dick to remind myself to buy $VOO instead.

mansfall

\>  I’m stopping today, or at least for a while. So you're not stopping. Just park your money in VOO or SPY or some broad-market based ETF and go touch grass. Earn money. Buy more of that stock. You should tell yourself to just full-stop and delete your trading app. You'll sleep better at night.

le_Derpinder

Everyone is correctly guiding you to VOO and chill if you are depending on this money or want this to be a consistent income. On the other hand, if you are going to do options and need to get out of your losses quicker, keep this handkerchief quick-maths in your head (helped me a lot to close out losing positions and move on to the next play) ... A 20% drop in position requires the position to go up by 25% to breakeven. 33% drop --> 50% gain required for breakeven. 50% drop --> 100% gain required for breakeven.

Templar_Swamp_Stake

Serious advice - It’s really hard to make any money trading options. You’re up against huge Wall Street companies with massive amounts of money to invest in computing and math/finance PhDs. They know how to price options.The big gains you see on here are usually just some guy who got lucky. You can make money trading stocks or ETFs. But in the long term it’s really hard to beat just sticking money into an S&P index fund and letting it grow (“VOO and chill”) Trading options can be a bit of fun but for most people it’s just gambling, like going to the casino and playing blackjack. You shouldn’t gamble anything you can’t afford to lose. And you’re better devoting your time to something more productive like upskilling or a fun hobby.

Objective_Ad4607

Don’t put in what you aren’t willing to lose. If you (or anyone) kept buying or didn’t sell WEN past its like one day pump, you have no business fucking around like you did. Anyway, sounds like you actually need to build up some savings and just go for boring investments VOO and go for long term.

Sawyerthesadist

On that note, find a better etf then VOO… 700$ for a shitty 1% yield… NO Thank you!

AlmostAsianJim

Down almost $35k this week alone. I'm tired fam. Trimmed my positions, added to $VOO and cash. Going to continue slowly adding to $VOO in this choppy market.

Templar_Swamp_Stake

Don’t bother. VOO and chill (serious answer).

stupidber

Is true. I bought this when SPY was at 630 and VIX was like 28 and its down since then. Wouldve been up like 20% just buying VOO

Dazzling_Repeat_3950

VOO vs SPY is basically Coke vs Pepsi, you’re splitting hairs at that point. Pick one, set up automatic contributions every paycheck, and don’t touch it for 10 to 20 years. If you want to get slightly fancier while still lazy, some people do 80 percent VOO and 20 percent VXUS for international, or just grab a total market fund like VTI and call it a day.

Fun_Investment1101

I only buy VOO, SMH, and DRAM atp

Level_Being_1977

You’re already on the right track tbh. Pick VOO or SPY, set up automatic contributions every paycheck, and don’t overthink the tiny differences. If you want to get slightly fancier without extra effort, you can do something like 80 to 90 percent VOO and 10 to 20 percent VXUS or IXUS for international, then rebalance once a year. The real “edge” for most people is just time in the market and not panic selling when stuff inevitably dips.

Whole_Tea_4383

good thing that i put 50% profit in VOO everytime. Shit is really easy, yall are overthinking so much

Educational_Bell6481

You’re literally describing the exact use case VOO and SPY were built for, so you’re on the right track already. Pick one (VOO is slightly cheaper on fees, SPY is more liquid but it won’t matter for long term), set up automatic contributions every paycheck, and ignore the noise for like 10 to 20 years. If you want to get slightly fancier, you can add a bit of VXUS or IXUS for international and call it a day.

AdditionalMany1292

Leave the GF, move In with parents, go to gym, invest in VOO, buy a house in 5 years, find a wife in that order.

Phytosaur01

Bro you know that VOO is 40% tech right? By defensive do you mean you're using it as a hedge against Google not winning? Because it is definitely not defending against volatility.

Shrimpf

Buy an ETF like VWCE or VOO and just chill

InvestingNerd2020

First I want to congratulate you and your father for starting on this pathway. Too many people are scared to invest. Nowadays it is a lot easier to do so, and the way to grow wealth long-term (5+ years) has been well refined. 2 good books to read that helped me a lot are: - Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J Stanley. - I will teach you to be rich by Ramit Sethi. Lean about different retirement accounts (company sponsored and individual ones), active vs index funds, and ETFs vs mutual funds. Accept that investing into most individual stocks is far worse than a collection of stocks (index ETF or index mutual fund). The only exceptions are high growth stocks that are literally effecting an economy (Tesla, Google, or Nvidia). Also, the most popular funds are not always the best to apply in all situations. Mindlessly following VOO and VTI isn't the best thing to invest into in every account type. Some other investments have lower expense ratios, better automation, can be less difficult with brokers that don't offer fractional share investing, or better suited when turning on the breaks in retirement. Zero expense ratio funds with good performance are around. The only things I would have done differently, would have setup a HYSA sooner and invested into a Roth IRA sooner with my tax returns. However, the 2000s was a bad decade to start with far more limitations and fees. This generation has it far too easy, which I am happy for them. Just take full advantage of it. Avoid brokers with bad customer service (Robinhood and E*Trade). Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Vanguard, or SoFi are the best choices for long-term investing with good to decent customer service. At your age and using a custodial Taxable brokerage account, just get started with ETF SPYM. Lowest expense ratio for a good ETF and it follows the S&P 500 index. The S&P 500 index requires all the stocks in it to have 4 straight quarters of profits, so only winners.

tremblingtallow

I believe they did recently drop expense ratios, including for VT, but I remembered VOO being lower so I just double checked in my brokerage account. .03 for VOO vs .06 for VT I still think VT is worth it for the "set and forget" nature of it, but you will pay a bit more for it

tremblingtallow

VOO's expense ratio is .03%

AlfB63

Learning that successful investing is about time and solid returns not about chasing high flyers. Things like VOO and QQQ are a solid foundation for a long term portfolio. 

stonksf

I have a million dollars in VOO AMA

IntelligentSwim364

VOO / SPY with automatic contributions is literally the textbook “set it and forget it” move, so you’re already on the right track. Pick one, set up auto buys every paycheck, don’t watch CNBC, and let time do the heavy lifting. If you want to get slightly fancy later you can add something like VXUS for international or a bond fund, but you don’t need that to get started.

KlutzyEgg980

VOO / SPY with auto contributions is literally the textbook “set it and forget it” move, so you are already pointed in the right direction. Pick one, set up automatic buys every paycheck, ignore the noise, and focus on increasing how much you invest, not what you invest in. If you want to keep it super simple, a 100 percent VOO portfolio while you are young, then slowly adding a bond fund later, is what a ton of people do and it works fine.

Ok-Construction-6179

VOO or SPY is basically “pick your favorite soda” territory, they track the same index and will behave almost identically long term. VOO has a slightly lower expense ratio so it wins on paper, but the real key is: automate contributions every paycheck, don’t time the market, and don’t freak out during dips. If you’re in the US, pairing that with tax advantaged accounts like a Roth IRA or 401k is an easy long term W.

Royal_Brain_9773

What’s everyone’s view on 70% VOO and 30% SPMO ?