VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
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Too much of my portfolio is from RSUs - how would you diversify?
I spent 6 years trying to beat the market. Mostly I just learned how hard that is.
Critique the direction of my 14yo son’s Roth IRA we started this year
How does this mixture look for my 14yo son’s Roth IRA?
New to investing, not sure if im doin it right
AI is disruptive. Individual companies have never been more volatile. What’s the argument to not just buy indexes?
What about VYM? That seems pretty immune to the shenanigans of the tech bros. You can't fake dividends.
Paying 1.86% at Ameriprise and thinking about simplifying. Is that fee still reasonable?
What $10k invested in 8 major indices would be worth today *PART 2*
What $10k invested in 8 major indices in 2011 would be worth today
Bullish thesis for SPCX into the summer
Bullish SPCX Mechanical and Macro Thesis in the next month
Donor Advised Fund (DAF) asset allocation, crypto?
Aggressive Roth IRA at 18 – What Would You Change?
Spacex, OpenAI, and Anthropic IPOs are investment opportunities and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise
used to dread rebalancing day, now it runs overnight
PSA: Don't be a bag holder for SpaceX and AI companies
Investing Opinions for Recent Grad with little student debt
Built my first Roth IRA portfolio in my 20's - here's my 6 ETF allocation and the reasoning behind each pick
place for stock picks that are not used for calls or puts? Higher risk growth picks?
Funds like VT that don't have the typical index problems
Choosing VTI over VOO has cost me about $44,000.00 over the past 6 years
Small business owner here, looking for investing advice from people further ahead than me
27M, with a little over 100K on bank MMA Account, what next?
feels crazy to buy stocks that are over 4x higher than when i first invested, not sure what to do
Is there a downside of using CSPs to acquire ETFs I want to hold long term?
Roth or Brokerage for individual holdings - what is best?
If someone is worth one million dollars, how much $VOO and $VTI should they own? What if they're worth *two* million; how much then?
Is holding energy ETFs or individual stocks worth it?
Edward Jones advisor wants me to invest with him instead of on my own.
You can do it! You can always recover! VTI & chill + buying dips
VTI averaging 20% per year; am I looking at this correctly?
Any recommendations or input on my portfolio structure?
Help me re-balance my portfolio: 31F, single, hoping to buy a home in VHCOL area in near future but also work as little as possible?
85/15 VTI & VXUS in brokerage, 85/15 FZROX & FZILX in roth ira
The mental relief of finally admitting I suck at stock picking
Rate my 100k by graduation plan at plan 18 years old
Made a stupid mistake with the market and not sure what to do now
How much of your portfolio do you actually keep in 'satellite' positions?
Any tax implications/forced sale if/when a massive company gets absorbed into VT/VTI?
What % of your portfolio is individual stock vs ETF?
Avoid fast track IPO’s while keeping broad passive strategy?
Still going all-in on S&P 500 with new money, or diversifying more in 2026?
Have another $200K to invest in. Should I put another $100k all in VTI right now?
Is anyone still just dumping new money straight into S&P 500 in 2026?
With the OpenAi and SpaceX Scam Rules, What ETFs can I buy instead of QQQM?
Mentions
I mean yeah you'll pay taxes on it like you normally would, that's just unavoidable. But still, even if you drop to $7500 after taxes, anyone can live on that amount anywhere in the USA very comfortably. You could put it into VTI and bonds if you wanted to I guess, but you'd net probably a lot less than if you sold puts.
Not really. Try comparing VTI and Heng Seng Index in the last 5 years
But no capital gains? Why not put 1m into into something like VTI and 400k into bonds and call it a day?
Nice straw man. Last 5 years: VTI doubled GME halved. 4x the difference in just the most effortless safe investment. Why would you ever trade options when you’ve proven to be below average in general?
Wrong sub head to boggleheads however I would suggest you to invest in low cost ETF like VTI/VOO 800$ free spending is a lot but it’ll do wonders if you invest all in.
Yeah, I’d really recommend just buying VTI and VXUS though. Your early years of saving and investing are the most important. You aren’t likely to beat the market when you’re up against people with tons of experience, and literal teams of PhDs with trading bots and proprietary algorithms. I do it with a tiny % of my portfolio just for fun and recognize that I’m just gambling, though I do think I have an edge when it comes to social media pumps at least.
The thing is you’re paying a lot more than the risk premium for your increased returns, so you’re no longer along the efficient frontier. Tbf I did dump my IRA into TQQQ in 2022 since it seemed like everything was undervalued, but now I’ll stick with my VTI and VXUS; CAPE is at record levels and AI looks like a bubble, so the last thing I want to do is lever up.
If you already feel overwhelmed, that usually means simplify, not add more tickers. QQQ would mostly double down on the same tech concentration you are already worried about. If it were me, I would stop adding individual stocks for now, keep the ones you already own, and direct new money into a broad core like VOO or VTI plus VXUS if you want international exposure.
I just did that this year. I made a huge mistake of selling a bunch of VTI (and paying the taxes) to try and beat the market. It didn’t work out. Things change all the time, and trying to determine outcomes is a waste of time. But I did alter it a bit. I now do 30/30/30/10 VGT/VTI/SPMO/VXUS.
in my job - i am asked to think of opportunities, but have never had AI (specifically Harvey) save me any time whatosever. the ONE time it had potential was for german translation that would not break confidentiality agreements in a case, but ultimately we got a german-speaking attorney instead. In investing? NEVER. too much sycophancy to trust any model IMO. but i am a largely passive investor who likes long-term, broad-based index investing like VTSAX/VTI/VFIAX. I buy more automatically thru my 401k, plus additionally in my brokerage account when I have extra money. If i'm getting nervous aobut things being broadly overvalued, I pay down my mortgage (5.625 percent).
Agreed. I'm worried and I don't own the Mag 7 or even $VTI . $VXUS will also drop on a crash in the $QQQ. I need to see a continued slow bleed out of the hyper spenders into everything else to continue to see my port go up. Unfortunately too many here think they are diversified owning the $SPY when the Mag 7 make up 30% of the market cap in S&P.
Everything in QQQM is in VTI. So you are only lyin to urself
I thought the same thing and bought msft at market open yesterday and it dropped another 4%. I don’t even know anymore. I put just as much into VTI at least.
I do in-fact own both, VTI is the whole market and QQQM is just technology, better QQQM than a single stock, regard.
Ive got 1.9m in the QQQM and VTI, imagine needing a 10%+ pump on a singe stock to feel good. Im more than happy with my 1% $20k moves.
I got tired to stressing over my options every day, constantly checking the ticket every few minutes. I got unlucky more than I got lucky. Even when the trajectory of a stock was guaranteed, I didn’t have enough money to make the gains worth while. Creating an automatic monthly purchase of SPY, now having transitioned to VTI/VXUS has ensured I keep going up and don’t have to stress about it nor even think about the money every again.
$VTI +0.41% $VXUS +1.35% $EWY + 4.07% $EWJ + 1.45% Guess which index is underperforming b/c it has over 30% market cap concentration in the AI cap ex hyperspenders in it?? US stock indices outperforming the world no longer works if the Mag 7 are spending their entire FCF, plus adding debt, plus diluting their shares. In the past 15 years or so those stocks provided tailwinds for $VTI b/c of stock buybacks. Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta , etc are definetly NOT doing stock buybacks right now.
I XEQT and VTI are my go tos
time in the market is more important than timing the market. just buy VOO+VTI 50-50 and stop pretending to be a competent trader when you arent.
We seeing the early signs of a potential market rotation. The food stocks I bought at close yesterday $CPB, $CAG, and $HRL are all up 2% while the MAG 7 AI cap ex hyper spenders are all down. I still think the AI/semi trade has more legs to it as I bought more $EWJ this morning; but I'm concerned about US markets. How can $VTI outperform when the MAG 7 which is over 30% market cap of the index can't catch a bid?
Here’s how I look at. There are pockets of time when it makes sense trading, like right now. Even if you primarily buy ETFs most of the time, there are obvious moments when that is a losing strategy. With the war in Iran, the disruption in the Strait, and the AI trade, this felt like a period of volatility, disruption and opportunity and during that time it makes sense to trade. Once that window closes I will flip back to a big chunk of ETF like VTI, and much fewer individual stocks. But right now it’s a traders market. Plus I enjoy trading and I have time because I am semi retired.
Lmao 14 holders of VTI
Absolutely. This is a common journey for many investors. The hardest lesson isn't that beating the market is impossible—it's that beating it consistently, after taxes, fees, and hundreds of hours of research, is incredibly difficult. Many investors eventually realize: * Index funds outperform most active investors over long periods. * Time and emotional energy have value too. * Not every market opinion needs to become an investment decision. * A simple portfolio of VTI/VXUS often delivers better risk-adjusted results than a portfolio of stock picks. Ironically, once people stop trying to outperform, they often enjoy investing more. Markets become interesting again instead of stressful. A lot of successful investors end up with a "core and satellite" approach: 80–90% in index funds and 10–20% in individual stocks or special opportunities. That lets them scratch the stock-picking itch without risking their financial future on it. So yes, many people make this shift. It's often less about giving up and more about recognizing where the odds are actually in your favor.
Do you understand what the S&P 500 is and what target date funds are? Typical target date funds are a really great deal and managed for your life stage. They often start at 90% stocks of a broad market base (like VTI) of both domestic and international. If you want to stay more aggressive, then pick a later date. Compare VTI and VOO. Surprise, it's the same line. You will virtually have the same return if you choose one over the other. Plus with the target dates, a little bit of bonds and some international will protect you in the long run. Don't try to get smart with your retirement planning because "they don't have the s&p" when target date managers are likely a group of smart people is managing it for you.
Explain, please. What if that is 400 trades that are all purchases? Using my taxable brokerage account as an example, in the last roughly 11 years I have recorded 533 "trades", however less than 10% of them were sales. I hold 50 different tickers. 75% of the value is in only 10 tickers including VOO, VTI, MOAT, SGOV, CAT, and NVDA. My last two sales were QQQM due to the SpaceX concern and some SGOV to free up cash to invest in the Iran related dip in March. Am I investing or am I trading?
VTI 100%.... It nearly mirrors the S&P .... Just enjoy the gains. Unless you learn about options and can ride out the craziness.
This reads like a sound conclusion, not a defeat. The index is the bar any process has to clear by enough of a margin to pay for the effort, and if it can't, putting most of it in VTI and keeping the few names you believe in is the right answer. The sharp bit is that your two complaints are one diagnosis. A second part-time job and underperformance come from the same place, what discretionary part-time stock-picking produces by design, because the effort that wears you out is the screen-watching, and the screen-watching isn't the thing that would have built an edge. The hours and the result are disconnected. What separates the rare process that does clear the bar is a fixed repeatable rule that takes the second-job part out and can still adapt when conditions change. More hours was never the missing piece. I run mine as a once-a-week rule and leave the rest alone, which is the only reason it doesn't eat the week. Glad you're enjoying markets more either way, that part matters more than people admit.
I never had this issue but what amount makes you comfortable? You can dollar cost average around 5k a month over the next 10 months (if you're investing 50k euros and saving 2k in a hysa as ab emergency fund). Also I'm guessing you will be investing in variant of S&P500 or VTI right?
That's completely fine. As long as his tax return shows enough earned income to cover the contribution, the IRS doesn't care where the physical cash comes from. Gifting the money is a great way to jumpstart things. Keeping it in a simple VTI/VXUS split is also way easier than managing overlapping growth funds, especially when he starts filing his own returns.
Might want to look into FSKAX instead of VTI. The fees are less and will likely be easier to fully invest.
What about 70% VTI / 20% VSUX / 10% SMH ….. that was my original plan before going complicated lol
VT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index, which does include VTI, but also VXUS. If you want to stock pick, time the market, what have you, sure, but diversification is your only free lunch in investing. If you want to protect yourself from a drawdown you can’t predict, diversification is the only sensible way to do so.
My thoughts are: 1. This is too complicated for such a small account. And maybe for anyone. Personally I would just pare this down to a three fund portfolio: a total market, an international, and then anything you want to specifically target. 2. There is a decent size amount of overlap with 5 equity index funds: One total market, 4 that basically are segmented as size. Your end effect is basically just a general 80% US market portfolio with some weighting towards large cap (but both growth and value) and semi-conductor. I haven't loaded your portfolio into a tool to check but I'll bet you have some company that you have more weight in that you expect because of fund overlap. 3. I'm not sure 4% in SMH does much for you. Every major company is present in both VTI and either SCHG or VTV. Does this small allocation in a recently popular industry really represent something meaningful for you. 4. I assume your brokerage allows partial shares and has no transaction fees. If not, you may want to consider the equivalent mutual fund instead.
Tech is fine, but it wouldn't hurt to diversify. VTI is a good fund if you wanted to put some money there.
I would get VTI. Do not go all in vgt, that's all egss in one sector
https://preview.redd.it/e4kvauvwb59h1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a30f89418a913b8d642796cc698c349adaeec087 Me with my VTI hole
I’d focus on amassing your first $100k in VOO, VTI or VT. I like VTI personally. Once you get there, you’ll have a good sized chunk working for you every year. I think at that point you could continue with VTI - but feel free to cross that bridge when you get there. SCHD is inefficient use of capital in my opinion. I’d avoid it.
The short answer (from my personal experience of doing that over the past decade) is: you can, but it likely won't have a overall positive benefit on your portfolio return, and can actually hurt. Instead of trying to manually balance your portfolio by collecting individual sector ETFs (which often leads to overlapping, inefficient, or poorly optimized weightings), it is much cleaner and more effective to just buy the entire market via broad index funds. Broad index funds already contain the optimal, market-cap-weighted amount of technology, defensive stocks, and dividends automatically. That includes sectors such as "technology" (VGT). Easiest to stick to overall index funds (VOO for S&P500, VTI for broader US market, VT for even broader world market).
No such thing as being "behind." Everyone is running their own race, and everyone's life has curveballs. Anyway - how convinced are you that US stocks are going to solidly outperform the rest of the world for the foreseeable future? Or the tech center specifically for that matter. Being real here, the amount you can contribute is going to be doing all the lifting for like the next decade. Just pick something simple, either all-world (VT) or all-US (VTI), and keep shoveling as much as you can in it. You can worry about a more specific breakdown 5-10 years from now.
Sure bud, I’d like to see your VTI go 400% in 2 day.
the part nobody is pinning down: a 2x etf over a 2 year hold is the literal opposite of set and forget. it resets daily, so in any choppy or sideways stretch you lose money to vol decay even if the index finishes exactly flat. set and forget works for VTI or QQQ, it actively eats you alive on QLD if you stop watching. your two single names at 150 each arent really investing either, thats two coin flips dressed up as a portfolio. nothing wrong with a punt but call it what it is. if you genuinely dont want to watch it daily then your ticker selection should match that. broad index, auto buy, done. high risk tolerance and dont want to check daily are pulling in opposite directions, and right now your picks lean toward the version that needs babysitting.
Nah, I’m selling call spreads and put spreads way OTM. Look at the IV. I’ll go long right before the NASDAQ 100 inclusion in early July which will cause forced buying by QQQ, VTI and all the other ETFs out there but until then SPCX will just bounce around with no rhyme or reason. They successfully dumped \~5% of the total shares onto retail so they could buy Cursor AI and now they want to tap the bond market? Elon really thinks he’s invincible.
Its the greatest bull market like ever and I don't wanna miss out on it by playing it too safe. I know the risks, but I am probably gonna hold for 2 years and then sell it and diversify better. I am 19, what do I have to lose here lol For QLD, here is my thinking: Since its an SIP, I will be buying the dip even if it falls and over a 2 year period, it should outperform VTI or S&P500 by quite a margin. Sorry if it sounds stupid, but I calculated my expenses and I waste 500 bucks on stupid shit every month anyway. I have a part time job that pays me decently enough. Even if the whole $500 is gone, I won't be too worried.
Invest in something you can forget about. The current AI buildout is tricky to get right without focusing on. Get VTI or if you really want semis, SMH. But get out of the leveraged one soon. That's not a forget about kind of trade.
Stupid. Buy VTI or VT and hold.
Seems unnecessarily complicated with the tilts and anchors. Of course, it's personal choice, but I'd just go 75% VTI and 25% VXUS.
VTI is always a good set it and forget fund for long term!
I mean, VTI (total market) is down 1.19%. That's not 3.17 but lets not act like if we were diversified we'd be green.
Recheck your math. TTWO has increased 120% since I purchased it in 2023. VTI has returned 78%. With dividends included it would be around 85% or so.
TTWO has not outperformed basic funds such as VTI unless you cherry pick dates to a very short time period. “Buying the rumor and selling the news” can work, but it is far too late to think that will work for this stock. If you want to make some cash in the short term it could work I guess, retail investors will always drive short term changes
Hey everyone just looking for some quick advice and guidance. I’m 20 years old and had some money from a TOD (transfer on death, about 50k). I put about 70% into VTI, and 25% into VXUS. I’m maintaining approximately 5-7% in speculation, with recent investments in RKLB, NBIS, and HOOD allocated from part of my summer internship paycheck. I will be graduating next spring with a degree in chemical engineering, and with the upgrade in salary I’m hoping to be strategic about future contributions. Looking for advice on my current holdings, and whether or not I should continue to allocate funds to my speculation over time, or if there are other companies that would be better recommended. The first priority in future allocation will obviously be the ETFs, but I’m curious how my speculation strategy can be tuned up. I’m not an idiot that’s going to follow anything blindly or without research, just looking for
Actually 0.15% as the iShares ITOT etf (very similar to Vanguard’s VTI) had it show in its holdings yesterday.
The iShares ITOT ETF (very similar to Vanguard’s VTI) had it at only 0.15% of their holdings yesterday morning .. probably due to the low public float.
All major stocks go up over time. The only thing you need to ask yourself is did this investment outpace the market? In TTWO’s case the answer is no, you would have had a better return just buying VTI. Doesn’t matter a whole lot, but idk if I would take a victory lap
Assuming those holdings are in a taxable account, selling LAC and QCLN at a loss gives you a tax offset. If your VTI and SPYG gains are under that $100 offset, you can sell them and clean the slate tax free.\\n\\nIf the gains are larger, you don't have to sell. Just turn off dividend reinvestment for those funds and point new cash to VOO and QQQM. The old shares can sit there without triggering a tax bill.\\n\\nKeeping VOO and QQQM simplifies things, but you're still layering the same beta. Apple and Nvidia make up about 13% of VOO and 16% of QQQM. Adding SMH and individual NVDA shares on top concentrates your money in the same few companies.
Look at your overall allocation and adjust it towards what you want as your allocation. It looks to me like you are going to incur capital gains taxes without having a good reason to do so. Overlap itself is not a problem. For example there is about 85% overlap between VTI and VOO, but holding both of them just means that you have a tilt towards larger stocks. Your plan to sell VTI and retain the VOO is increasing the tilt, Your plan would have you have to paying capital gains on your VTI gains, while reducing your portfolio diversity.
VTI and QQQ are both down at time of writing
If the DXY doesn't stop going up there are gonna be more dips to buy at better prices, hahaha. With that said just buy the indices. $VTI, $VT, or $VXUS. Pick your poison.
Or just VT for everything... or maybe VTI for US and VXUS for international if you want to control US-Int'l tilt.
Stop investing into singular stocks. Pick 1-3 singular stocks and invest the rest into ETFs of your choice. You already mentioned VTI. Keep buying VTI or look into VOO and VT. Watch some videos on YouTube and do the research. Personally, I hold 4 stocks. VT, XLI, RIVN, and DRAM.
FTSE (VT) and CRSP (VTI) both changed their rules to accomodate SpaceX.
Fast track entry is not new for VT / VTI.
VOO for someone as young as you is insane IMO. S&P’s returns are shit compared to Nasdaq 100 and everyone knows tech is going to continue driving the market. Sure there’s more volatility, but what do you care? You’ll be earning a paycheck and just buying those dips, actually making more off the volatility. Think like this. (Just examples, not what I’m suggesting for your portfolio) 100% VOO is diversified with no hedge 50/50 VOO/QQQM has better returns than 100% VOO, still diversified with no hedge 40/40/20 VOO/QQQM/VYMI has better returns than 100%VOO, diversified and an int hedge 80/20 VTI/VYMI has returns lower than 100% VOO, but provides tons of diversification, hedge and lower volatility for retirement years assuming you have the capital for a lower draw rate. Hope that helps and good luck!
I would recommend either putting it all into VTI, splitting it between VTI and DIA and QQQ, or just putting it all into SGOV and slowly moving it over (this also allows you to buy in a crash since SGOV is mostly fixed). No point worrying about what you would have had, markets go up long term even if individual stocks don't always do.
If you’re long term I wouldn’t really care. The concentration in the S&P 500 short term or even VTI though for sure is becoming more and more risky. The fundamentals remain strong rn but one bad quarter could be a big shake up and lead to short term losses
I mean respect for actually running it, as most people never do, because the story is more comfortable than the spreadsheet. When I finally measured mine properly I had the same humbling moment, I was beating the index but by far less than I believed, and only after about year three. Deciding that if I was going to do this at all, I would do it with a consistent method and a real benchmark, not vibes. I track every position against VTI net of tax, and I run every name through the same framework so my process does not drift. I picked up the growth, value, dividend approach from Jeremy Lefebvre, partly because he publishes his actual portfolio and returns going back to 2017 instead of just claiming he wins, and that honesty pushed me to hold myself to the same standard. Whatever you use, the benchmark has to be real and the method has to be the same every time, otherwise you are just collecting anecdotes that happen to flatter you.
I’m a few years older than you, I leaned more aggressive prior to 35, and started going VTI after. Qqq/vgt etc are “more aggressive” than vti, but have performed very well.
You do what you gotta do but at least put 25% of your money in something like VGT or QQQM man. I can't imagine how pissed I would be if I left my stocks in a Boglehead style 3 fund where only 1/3 of it is in VTI or something.
Or, for the majority of the people who don't have the time for all that, just buy VTI
VT, VTI, VOO, SPY can’t go wrong
Lol, VTI. All in. It has served me well.
Max your retirement contributions. Can get to a million bucks in 10 years easy just 100% VTI with two earners.
Similar age, VTI/vxus at global weights, I don’t mess with alt ETFs because I am fine being neutral/average with my wife’s money
I would be fairly aggressive personally. At your age you have at least a 30 yr time horizon until retirement. Me personally I would be 100% in stocks. And I would be diversified using ETFs and while I agree with having exposure to indices like the S&P 500 I would personally have a larger than typical exposure to smaller cap and even some mid cap stocks. You can get some of that exposure in ETFs like the Vanguard total stock market index ETF (ticker: VTI) I would have exposure to ETFs like Vanguard Extended Market Index ETF (ticker: VXF) or Dimensional US Small Cap ETF (ticker: DFAS). Maybe some smaller exposures to sectors such as things like PSI, WTAI, XBI, GINN, etc. But make sure you are comfortable with the investments you own and are willing to take a longer term investment perspective since many sectors or areas of the market like small caps may be more volatile day to day than broad based large cap stock indices like the S&P 500.
Currently I have 5 Etfs that I contribute to in my Fidelity account. Can you give me your thoughts if it looks okay? Too much overlap? Thank you! QQQM, SCHD, SOXX, VOO & VTI
Absolute full on aggressive. VTI, VOO, SPY QQQ. That's all you need.
I record the price of VTI at the time of all of my stock purchases, and have been for years. I had been slightly outperforming the index for a while, but I've definitely been lagging it of late, because of just how heavily all the gains are concentrated in one sector.
You are still young and learned a valuable lesson - you cannot time the market. I would simply get back in, today. If you are uncertain on what to buy, simply go with VOO or VTI. I'm sure that you know that over the past 40 years, the S&P 500 has achieved an average annualized return of approximately 12.7%. There will inevitably be major peaks and valleys. The great thing is that you have enough time to ride through the turbulence. Good luck.
Avoid options and single stocks in the future. Stick to VT (every publically traded company on earth) or VOO/VTI and DCA like a grandpa. If that somhow hits $0, then the world is literally ending and poverty dosn't matter anymore.
Anybody expect a (significant US stock market dump), on Monday? Because as of (June 17, 2026). —>VXUS = up by (0.80%) —>VTI = down by (0.10%) —>VT = up by (0.20%) International equities/companies = up. US equities/companies = down. —>US + Iran agreement — to be physically signed on (June 19, 2026). This Friday
Do I wait until 2:30 to buy more VTI?
Heres another lesson: you need to do your own research when it comes to stocks. Taking other peoples advice can get you in bad situations. Based on your level of knowledge, I would recommend ETFs such as VTI or VOO. That should be the majority of your portfolio, and over time you can continue to expand your knowledge. I would even stay away from individual stocks for the time being. It isn’t fun or glamorous, but that will put you on a fast track to wealth building. And whatever you do, just don’t stress about day to day fluctuations. Clearly define your goals and your timetable, and remember those when the market dips or booms.
FYI: VOO is the same as SPY, but at a lower expense ratio. Since you are in r/stocks, you probably saw posts about the IPO controversy, but recently rule changes to the NASDAQ mean that new IPOs (like SpaceX) could each essentially defraud you of a small percentage of your VTI holdings.
Guess I’m buying a ton of VTI today
You go back to your parents and show them: “You can’t time the market. The gurus don’t know shit.” There is a guy call ‘Mr. Fired Up Wealth’ that has a great strategy I agree wit in regards to timing the market. “Time in the market is better than time in the market. Spread your money around as such: 1. ETF/Mutual funds. VOO/VTI/QQQ there are plenty more. 2. Blue Chip. Apple, Nvidia, TWSC. 3. Medium Cap. $2-10 Billion companies. 4. Spec stocks. 5. Crypto. Bitcoin specifically, but then a small percent in spec crypto (very small percent). Learn fundamentals. Revenue/Earnings, P/E, leadership, MOAT, support levels in charts, potential for growth/problem solving in sectors, etc. There are more people losing everything going full port into stocks/0dte trading chasing a gambling/high, early retirement. Get in the market. Diversify. Invest every month a portion of your income. Take advantage of every tax credit you can Trad IRA, 401k. Anything to lower your “income” while also investing. Play the game AND make your money work for you. Be patient. Keep money aside for crashes/dips. The market is at all time highs. There will be a correction. The “gurus” are guessing maybe 2027. It’s a guess.
Literally you could drop 80% back in to VTI and 20% to SGOV
Sell puts if really worried, get paid and eventually get put shares (ie VTI)
well again - skip all the shit. VTI, VOO, SPY. then you get both. and you get everything else. Less risk, and genreally speaking great gains. As good as all in on apple no? but thats literally a one and a million pick. With VTI, and other indexs youll pick some of those gains up. without the risky of all in on one egg.
There will always be ups and downs in the market. In the 80's inflation and 11% unemployment, then 90's we had the Gulf War, then 2001 the dot com bubble, 2007 the real estate recession, 2020 covid, now 2026 we have a war with Iran. Nothing ever really changes. You won't be eble to time the market, no one can. Also just because one market sector goes to shit doesn't mean they all do. At 20 you should invest your money in a ETF focused on high Growth, things like VGT/VOO, maybe even some industry specific ETFS like QTUM for quantum computing. You get 30+ years of watching the money go up and down but with compounding you're upward projectory can be meaningful. At 30-40 you may want to change things up, move from all growth potential to more steady so things like VTI and BBUS with a small allocation to VXUS (non US markets) as you want less risk, which also means less growth. At 50-60 you need to start thinking about consistent income and tax implecations instead of growth so you may start looking at things like JEPI/JEPQ, Bonds, Dividend focused ETFs like VYM/VIG. I don't know your Dad's age but what they do with their money needs to be different from what you do with your money.
I mean if im droping money in SPY or VTI. Im still getting those gains, just less of them. and its safer. 99% of people are better off on SPY or VTI then a single company. period.
I kind of start thinking about this. Started two years ago with just QQQ and then after some much reading move from QQQ to VTI. Very simple but since october 2025 started to invest in stocks, sold all my vti shares bought googl, mu, iren, MSFT and the rest SPY. Been doing pretty great but i am stil reading and checking all the news, data and earnings and everything which makes mw wondering if that maybe if I still keep my QQQ investment from the start is better without loosing so much time.
This reminds me of 2020. I had a bunch of cash since 2015 and I was saving it to buy a property. Unfortunately, I got divorced in 2019, so the property purchase never happened and I decided to put it all in VTI in Jan 2020. COVID hit 3 months later. Luckily we had a nice V shape recovery and I was able to buy a few dips.
It’s gonna be like 1% of VTI. Its market cap is weighted based on the publicly traded float. It’s such a non issue people just want controversy.