VXUS

Ahamadrayasbaboon

Hmm. I wonder if I should look at EU ETFs and compare to VXUS and AVDV. 

Holiday_Tradition639

Nice take profits when it’s worth screenshotting, I’ve went semi safe into VTI and VXUS for good world spread

dj3461

Hey everyone, I’m 24 and I’m trying out a lifecycle investing strategy using leverage while I’m young. Right now my allocation is: 43.75% UPRO, 56.25% VXUS This gives me around 70/30 US/international exposure, which is what I’m aiming for... So 1.875 leverage. My plan is to rebalance using 5/20 bands. Basically I’d partially rebalance when things drift to the inner bands, and more seriously rebalance if they hit the outer bands. Any DCA money and dividends would also go toward rebalancing instead of just buying whatever. I’m planning to start deleveraging around age 32. I'm not sure when ill be completely deleveraged though, but I think around 40 potentially. Would appreciate any thoughts or criticism.

VibrantLychee

Had a similar crossroad, diverisifed by adding mainly SCHD and a bit of VXUS.

kmouratidis

They *think* VOO returns will outpace currency-adjusted VT/VXUS, so they keep pumping money into it, even if they're not Americans. Btw, YTD 9.84% vs 11.19%/13.98% respectively.

GrandRare1634

Most people are happy with VXUS for international investment, which is roughly 2:1 Developed to Emerging markets. I've chosen to be essentially 1:1 in those by investing equally in VEA and VWO. I'm betting that a lot of countries in the latter (Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, but especially Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia) have a lot of potential as they grow past low-cost manufacturing and farming and into other industries. Most are tropical/equatorial and have large populations, and I expect a lot of innovation will be needed as these places really start to feel the effects of climate change. Plus China is going to start looking to outsource its own labor costs as it develops quickly, and many of these are right around the corner, across the South China Sea that they already claim to control.

8370U

70% into VTI and 30% into VXUS.. Set auto deposits and auto investments at that ratio.

bbawdhellyeah

My DCA into VTI SCHG and VXUS at $500/week lol

DarkVoid42

VXUS+VTI. go find another hobby.

Downtown_Extension_6

Hey, sounds like you're in a great spot — $14k in profit on a diversified portfolio is solid. The "cash on the sidelines" anxiety is real and very common. I built **ProspectAI** (https://prospect-ai.moisesprat.dev) specifically for situations like yours. It's a multi-agent AI pipeline that does in \~2 minutes what would take hours manually:   1. **Scans Reddit + financial forums** to find the stocks retail investors are actually talking about (not just what Wall Street pushes)   2. **Runs 13+ technical indicators** (RSI, MACD, Bollinger Bands, ATR, etc.) to assess momentum and entry timing   3. **Grades fundamentals** — P/E, margins, FCF, revenue growth — so you're not buying hype   4. **Generates a composite score** (0–100) weighing sentiment, momentum, and fundamentals   5. **Produces a portfolio allocation** with specific entry zones, stop-losses, and take-profit targets   For your situation — $25k in cash, already holding VTI/QQQ/VXUS as your core — ProspectAI would identify *which sectors or individual stocks* are showing strong momentum right now with favorable risk/reward setups, and give you concrete entry prices rather than "just do it" or "wait." It's sector-specific: Technology, Semiconductors, Healthcare, Finance, Energy, Consumer, Industrials, Real Estate, Utilities. You tell it the sector, it does the research, and an adversarial critic agent challenges the recommendations before you see them.     The pipeline runs end-to-end in under 2 minutes and gives you actionable positions with entry/stop/target — not just vibes.

DarkVoid42

VXUS

taplar

If you want to include international you could buy VXUS, or consider just buying VT. 

Similar_Place6637

MSFT: 18.65% ($6,520.57) AMZN: 16.93% ($5,918.45) VXUS: 13.13% ($4,588.66) AXP: 7.01% ($2,451.10) DRAM: 6.61% ($2,309.93) NVDA: 3.61% ($1,262.40) SOFI: 3.13% ($1,092.63) NASA: 2.08% ($728.44) I’m

Valuable-Analyst-464

I was basically 95% equities my whole investing career. I read up on bonds and made the mistake of diversifying with them at too young an age. I am not sure what’s in your brokerage and what’s in the HYSA…maybe locking too much away. Before reallocating in the taxable account, maybe reset your retirement accounts. I would say VT or 75/25 (VOO or VTI)/VXUS.

Scorpio_Rex

"Peace deal" coming soon, load up on VXUS!

crazybutthole

I am not saying anyone is dumber than me. (That's really hard to do.) I am just saying when a guy says - you should always diversify 20-30% of you assets to international funds - I was demonstrating that for ten years - that was not a good idea. Even though he said "always" - but for ten years it was a bad idea. Will it be good in 2027 or 2028? I don't know. If I was sure maybe I would go 50-50 spy vs international. But I don't know. All I know is the past ten years it has not worked out. If everyone in a thread argues and says I am wrong cause it's always the right thing to do - I will still says from 2015 to 2025 - it was not the right thing to do. I don't know what will happen next year. Or the next 10 yrs. But I have great hindsight and spy has beaten the crap out of VXUS last ten years

Remarkable_Cat_8696

This also means a higher price for international etfs like VXUS.

sirzoop

ive just been buying 20% of my portfolio VXUS for a few years now

kurai-tsuki

Just put money into VWO or VXUS and you're fine. The last year has been great.

fozzy71

I am in the process of going 100% AVNM for my exUS core to let them figure out the weights, but my largest core is IVV instead of VT. I was previously doing 1/3 each of VXUS, IDMO, and DFIV for my exUS sleeve.

fozzy71

I don't do single-name stocks, but if you want a concentrated actively managed ETF with <150 EM tickers, check out - [https://stockanalysis.com/etf/frdm/](https://stockanalysis.com/etf/frdm/) Disclaimer: I don't own that ETF, but I was watching it while holding a 3-way split of VXUS/IDMO/DFIV. I have since decidedd to just consolidate all my exUS exposure into one holding of AVNM.

InvisibleEar

I'm 50/50 VTI/VXUS equivalents 😈

LegitosaurusRex

I literally had $16k in student loans (-16k Net Worth) 10 years ago after college… now I have $2.6 million mostly just sitting in VTI and VXUS. I buy a contract here and there for fun. Income has mostly been around $200k-$375k. Pay my own rent cause I'm not a poor. Drive a 2016 Honda civic coupe and like it. Boom. $2.6 million.

Mouse0022

Buy SMH or SOXX. and just hold. If you buy any individual stocks, can't really go wrong with GOOGL, NVDA, and AAPL. Besides that, VTI and VXUS and chill. Know your risk tolerance. Don't go big into anything speculative. Look at it like lottery tickets, put in as much as you can handle if it went to $0. Don't put in more than you can handle losing. One thing to remember on a red day is that you only lose if you sell. Sometimes you just have to hold onto the ride and ride it out. Don't be a perpetual bear.

JohnDLG

I do, I'm in the zero percent tax bracket for dividends so it doesn't hurt me. For my retirement stuff I buy VTI in Roth and VXUS in taxable.

TempeGrumble

OMG another fancy term for trying to market-time. Warning: I'm a Boglehead, so I'm going to be one of the folks advising you and your spouse to focus on low-cost, broad market index funds for equities and avoid trying to guess where and when "the market" is going anywhere. In this perspective, your advisor was wrong, and going with something broad-based within your asset allocation is correct. E.g., with Vanguard ETFs, VT (or VTI and VXUS) for equities, and something like BND for bonds.

Sagelllini

[I wrote this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bogleheads/comments/1pdlssz/the_latest_morningstar_report_shows_how_to_invest/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) on how to invest and [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bogleheads/comments/1svxbkk/honoring_jonathon_clements_the_stocks_and_cash/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) on funding a retirement. The idea that "sector rotation" works is disproven by the Morningstar numbers because active strategies consistently lag passive investing. As to the corporate bonds, the coupon rates are pretty much irrelevant because the price is marked to Market so the higher price coupons are priced higher and the lower coupons lower. Regardless, you should sell them all. Look again at the Morningstar numbers. Do you want corporate bonds with returns in the mid-5s or stocks that historically do 10%? Personally, for the inherited IRA I would sell everything that is in there, buy VTI and VXUS in some ratio (mine is 80/20) and figure out the most tax efficient method to withdraw over the next 6 years (and a FA won't know the most tax efficient way). Then, you systematically sell, pay the tax you owe, and buy VTI and VXUS in whatever ratio you choose in a taxable brokerage account with the proceeds after paying the tax.That will most likely get you the best returns over the upcoming years. Fire your manager, sell the crap in tax deferred accounts, buy VTI and VXUS (or VT) and if nothing else you'll save yourself fees and aggravation.

Maleficent_While2653

The entire global market is being driven by AI, whether you like it or not. You can diversify all you want, it's still AI driving your portfolio. Most of VOO is completely flat except for the AI stocks. Even the top names in VXUS are companies like TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, and ASML.

ATPsynthase12

I’m serious, you don’t need a financial advisor and investing can be very simple if you do a little reading first. The entire philosophy behind Bogleheads is that investing can be as simple as you make it. John Bogle the founder of Vanguard designed the index fund as a low maintenance, low cost option for retail investors to get into the market and make money without having to go “stock picking” or do extensive research on each company. For example, you’ll pay 0.11% per year from your returns on a VTI/VXUS/BND 3 fund portfolio vs. 1-3% of your total portfolio value in an actively managed brokerage. It’s a no brainer.

ATPsynthase12

You don’t need a financial advisor at all. They are just middle men who harvest 1-3% of your portfolio per year and often either lose you money (via outright losses or sub par performance) or go full big brain moves to beat the S&P 500 and again end up losing your money. Or, they intentionally do stupid things to make more money off of you such as putting money on a corporate bond fund. Pull your money out and transfer it to a fidelity brokerage SPAXX account. Once the cash has settled invest it in the following; 50% VTI (vanguard total stock market index), 30% VXUS (vanguard total non US stock market), and 20% in BND. If you are not retiring soon or want more growth, do 70% VTI, 30% VXUS. Although, at your age, there is a strong argument to include bonds or TIPS to ensure you have less volatility and cash on hand if needed. That’s it. Contribute monthly, reinvest the dividends and let the compound interest grow. DO NOT TOUCH IT until you hit the amount you can draw 4% per year without depleting your accounts. Once you hit that point you can retire and are fully financially independent. Check out the wiki on r/bogleheads if you want more info.

RickDick-246

An expensive early lesson. Not to pile on to negative thoughts but it’s pretty clear you don’t understand options well enough to play them. I say “play” because it’s gambling. Not sure the time horizon on that $100k loss but if you just had VXUS/VOO for the last year you’d have about $120k. Next year you’d probably have $132k. The year after that you’d probably have $150k. This is a good time in your life to join r/bogleheads.

TreGet234

Dxy to the bottom of hell once we get a peace deal. Gold too for some fucking reason. QQQ up by exactly as much as dxy will drop VXUS faceripper in usd

Jigawattts

Start over, stop gambling, and invest in funds like VTI, VXUS, and QQQM. Unlike you I had to learn this lesson at the ripe age of 38. At least you have 13 more years of compounding.

Maleficent_While2653

At the end of the day the market only ends up higher, even if for no other reason than currency devaluation. I get the doomer talk, but even if it’s right what am I supposed to do with that info? Sell all my stocks and stuff cash under the mattress? There is no where else to run besides alternative asset classes. AI is now everywhere. Even a fund like VXUS if you looked at the top holdings might be mistaken for a semiconductor ETF.

BakerMikeRomeo

I ain't no doctor, but: 1. Good on you for starting early. I didn't start saving intentionally or investing until my 30s, and I would be happier if I'd had it in mind a decade and change earlier. 2. I don't think there's anything explicitly wrong with your allocation or your plan, I'd just say that you've got it chopped fine when you needn't: if you just throw it all at VTI and VXUS (or equivalent funds), pay next to nothing in fees, and forget about it

Emotional-Power-7242

Not being in the EU actually makes it easier because you can buy US-domiciled funds such as VOO, VXUS, VT, etc. EU investors can't buy these funds and instead have to buy EU-regulated funds (usually domiciled in Ireland). A quick search shows that Serbia has some regulation on transfers to brokerages, that they must come from a local bank. You'd have to ask a Serbian source about that idk. You may also have some Serbian tax advantaged accounts we wouldn't know about (401k equivalent or whatever).

banevaderplus6000

I'm so glad I transferred my Roth to 90% VXUS 10% VWO in early 2025.

Sotarif

I’ve done some research on this and the simplest solution is to move to SP500 index ETFs like VOO, add some momentum like SPMO, tech like SOXX and international like VXUS. That carves out any forced inclusion IPOs like SpaceX, Openai etc. Then if you want some space diversification in your portfolio add a small amount of an etf like NASA which has a number if space stocks. It does have a small l slice of spacex pre ipo and is obviously risky. But I think there may be more upside in space stocks in general. I don’t like any changes in index rules like Nasdaq has approved which only benefit employees founders and pre ipo investors so they can cash out at obscene valuations. But that doesn’t mean these stocks won’t be a buy after a period of setting or probable decline.

tk421tech

I sold VXUS and BND on Friday. Prior it was 40/30/30

tk421tech

I sold some VXUS and BND on Friday that is you see in SPAXX, to possibly put in VOO. Hence this post.

RedditSuxDonkeyNutz

VXUS and chill avoid it all

peszneck

I have a 50% VOO, 15 % VXUS, 25% individual stocks, 10% cash

Last-Register-934

AI slop, VXUS is outperforming VOO YTD.

Agreeable-Bee-3449

Not a financial advisor but I like to do a core + satellite approach. Where the bulk of my money is in a broad index etf (like VOO or VTI, VXUS, VT etc) and then I supplement that with more risky individual investments. My satellite rn is GOOG, MSFT, MU and RKLB

BottleMedium881

At 30, I’d keep it boring. In taxable, VTI is usually a great core because it gives you the whole US market and is tax-efficient. VOO is fine too, but holding both doesn’t add much since they overlap heavily. Since your Roth is already 80/20 US/international, you could mirror that with VTI + VXUS in taxable and focus on consistency, low costs, and not tinkering.

Fapados

The problem isn't VXUS. It outperformed VOO both in 2025 and 2026. 33% of your money is in a MMF. That's a lot.

tk421tech

It was VOO 40%, VXUS & BND 30%. Retiring in 10 yrs. (Seems it might only grow to about 100k with contributions). Prior to today I thought perhaps 60/25/15 might be a better goal. Current % 33.50/17.42/15.87 and 33.21 in SPAXX to rebalance.

Moist_Wolverine_9127

Your math checks out - VXUS has been dragging you down this year while bonds are basically dead weight. International has been underperforming US markets for a while now, and with rates where they are, BND isn't doing you any favors either. At your age though, having some diversification isn't the worst idea even if it hurts short-term performance. The 3-fund portfolio is designed for long-term stability, not chasing returns. If you went 100% VOO you'd definitely be closer to that 9.27% S&P number, but you'd also be taking on more concentration risk. Maybe consider tweaking your allocation instead of going all-in on one fund - bump up VOO percentage and reduce the international/bond weightings if you're comfortable with a bit more volatility.

trix_is_for_kids

What’s your age/ time horizon? If it’s 20+ years I’d go 80/20 VOO/ VXUS. Could go 80/20 VTI/VXUS for more exposure/ safety or just 100% VTI. But if your timeframe is 20+ I’d suggest the more aggressive approach.

charlieandoreo

Just buy VOO and VXUS or just VT. Then in a tax deferred account add BND after you turn 40.

Icy-Sheepherder-7595

I'm working with much less capital than you but I've been struggling with the same emotional selling and poor timing. I keep trying to tell myself it is what it is and it's a lesson pretty much every investor has to learn at some point. Nobody's line ever just goes straight up. I recently took a $7k loss on LULU after finally deciding I was done with it after holding and averaging down for almost 2 years, then I see it starting to move up again although the value is still way off its highs, I sold MELI a few weeks ago and again that's going back up, sold out of half my UNH position at the bottom and lost a little money despite knowing I bought in really cheap and probably could've held it all, I made $4k instead of the $10k I should have had I held. The thing is though you have to move on once you sell a stock. Beating yourself up and, I'm guilty of it, I made a similar post in the value investing sub about how over the last few years I traded like $300k just to barely break even, but beating yourself up and dwelling does no good for your mental health or investing strategy it will only cause you to keep losing money. Not financial advice in the slightest but I think if you let go of META and MSFT you'll find yourself feeling sad again once they go back up. MSFT is my largest position so far and I'm not selling until it at least doubles which could take time but I don't think as much as the projections are showing. If it drops below my entry price of just under $400 again I'm loading the boat. It's the one stock I have 100% conviction in right now they'll never go away, corporate America runs on their products I wouldn't bet against that at all. META is riskier but I hold that too although much less. Earnings are good, no reason the stock should stay this low for long. I would just close the app and hold and see where things go if I were you. And also it sounds like you already have about $400-500k liquid net worth so you're already ahead of most people, if you're smart and can get a handle on the emotional aspect which is just as important as the technical analysis side of investing, you can make that money compound quickly. No need to be chasing anything too risky like options when you have that much to lose. If anything sell your current positions after you're in the green and throw it in VOO/VTI/VXUS/VTSAX take your pick at whatever low cost index fund and then just never sell. That's the beauty of index investing, if it goes down it just means you can buy more cheaper, unlike individual stocks where your gambling it all on horse to win it all but with indexes they pretty much always go up in the long term. Even buying at the top of the market you're still guaranteed to come out profitable unless a nuclear war breaks out or something of that magnitude.

User4f52

Getting exposed to emergent markets corruption scandals, volatility, weak institutions, is the actual important reason of going VXUS

Carbon-Base

Beans, lentils and legumes are essentially VOO, VXUS and VTI.

ATPsynthase12

But they are all US based meaning you miss out on several large, mid, and small cap companies that are based outside of the US hence why you should always include VXUS in your portfolio at 20-30%

OGS_7619

most people recommend diversifying both beyond top 500 large-cap in US, to include med-cap and small-cap in US, as well as buying international (emergent markets). So instead of ETF like VOO or SPY that only tracks S&P, you may want to get VTI or FSKAX that tracks total US market, as well as international market, VXUS or FTIHX. Most people go with cap weight of about 60 US to 40 ex-US, but it depends on whether you are in US or elsewhere (then you may tilt towards home country due to exchange rates) and whether you want to increase US allocation because of personal beliefs. International underperformed S&P (and S&P has been lately dominated by top 7 companies) until about a year or so ago, when international has been outperforming S&P. There are periods when small cap or mid-cap outperform large-cap, and most of the time bottom 450 S&P companies outperform top 50, so over time it will all averages out - stay diversified.

HumidMind

Funny thing, once you bang a few great 10 baggers you don't have to gaf. It is house money and you do your research and pull it off again. Siphon profits to things like VYMI, VXUS etc as you get close to retiring. Metals and real estate are a thing too..

TheBlackBaron

>There is a very weird dynamic specific to Reddit, an all VOO/VXUS portfolio, OK How much of a bubble to you have to be in to think VOO+VXUS is "a very weird dynamic specific to reddit" when it is the basic position that every single 401k and target date fund is in lol.

vSylvr

21M. I max out my Roth IRA each year with 85%Voo 10%VXUS and 5%BND. I have an emergency savings in a HYSA. No debt or car payment only fix payments are car insurance and gas plus groceries. I want to save for a house someday let’s say 10 years from now. I want to invest that money in a brokerage instead of just in a HYSA. I’m going to do 70% VOO and 20% QQQM. What should I do with the other 10%? I want to keep it us stock market only.

pidaryob

eh, i’m not much into options these days. lightly swing trading the s/p with shares but, i’m all in VOO/VXUS/IWM looking back i see i was tossing 10/20k on 0dte options. man it’s embarrassing to even look at lol

ATPsynthase12

55 and nearing retirement? 50% VTI, 25% VXUS, 25% bonds Young with several decades to grow? Literally just do VTI and VXUS. Even if you don’t add a dime to it, the conpound interest alone will create generational wealth without needing to performance chase.

drew-gen-x

I am less bullish on $GLD than I am on $VXUS. But Gold is a hedge and if gold underperforms the rest of my portfolio then the rest of my portfolio has likely done very well. I like to add to keep my gold position around 15% of my portfolio. If the rest of my port appreciates then I look to BTD to add to my $GLD or $PHYS positions.

ap485860281

Maybe so, but the question is how things will pan out when Europe and Japan are both facing rising gas costs, rate pressures, and currency swings. All of which potentially impacts VXUS earnings and pricing too.

drew-gen-x

I should have BTD heavier on $VXUS yesterday. I bought $GLD 2 days too early but I'm now even there. You can't time every pullback perfectly but it's way easier to BTD in the indices in this crazy volatility market over individual stocks.

taplar

VXUS holds approximately 76% large+ cap companies. It is not a small cap fund. 

drew-gen-x

$VXUS Look at BTD here if you want to move some cash out of this clown market.

FINomad

Both of those routes sound awful to me. SCHD is for people that don't understand dividends. Here's a video to help you understand what dividends are and aren't (spoiler: they aren't free money): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5j9v9dfinQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5j9v9dfinQ) Nearly all of the stocks in SCHD and VPU are already in VTI (use the link in my comment above to see the overlap), so all you're trying to do is tilt your portfolio to something you don't understand. I would go with VTI + VXUS or simply VT.

Brilliant-Fee-4994

This was very helpful. Probably the most helpful explanation so far. I’m also deciding between VTI vs. SCHG, and I don’t plan on doing both for the exact reason you mentioned above. If you had to choose one of the routes below, which would you personally go with long term? 1) VTI, SCHD, VPU, and VXUS 2) SCHG, SCHD, VPU, VXUS, and AVUV

RickDick-246

Choosing VXUS or VOO for the last year netted me about the same over the last year. Sometimes you make good decisions, sometimes you don’t. Get into a standard distribution and let it ride.

drew-gen-x

I keep my portfolio under 10% individual stocks. The March sell off this year convinced me that I’m nowhere near as smart as I think I am. The upside is I did time the March 31 bottom in $VT, $VXUS, $EWJ & $GLD. I’m much less stressed today than I was going through the March sell off. I’ll gamble with 10% of my portfolio but more than that isn’t worth the stress even if I did get lucky & bought the winning stocks.

comps226

What? Just buy VOO and VXUS

drew-gen-x

BTD & added to $VXUS and $EWJ I'm sorry but I'm not buying American

Ornery_Ad98765

GOOG and VXUS are the only two stocks that don’t make my buthole pucker

FishermanTraining588

I was in a similar spot in my 20s: living with family, decent cash pile, tempted by rentals. I ended up doing almost exactly what this comment suggests and it paid off way more than trying to be a landlord early. I opened a taxable brokerage, went heavy S&P 500 and a bit of VXUS, and just auto-invested every paycheck while I finished school and got my income up. One extra thing that helped me was treating my “house money” as a separate bucket. I kept 1–2 years of potential down payment needs in safer stuff like short-term Treasuries and only invested what I truly didn’t need for 5+ years. On the admin side, when my startup stock and options came into the mix later, things got messy fast; I tried Carta and Pulley, then ended up on Cake Equity because it kept my cap table and option grants from becoming a spreadsheet horror show while I focused on the boring investing plan above.

drew-gen-x

$VXUS Most US investors do not own World ex US stocks. So if your port is mostly $SPY, $QQQ, or $VTI; I would recommend opening a position in $VXUS to diversify or hedge risk away from USD. I like and hold $GLD; but Gold price is volatile (short term) and you really don't want to hold more than 10-15% Gold in your portfolio due to currency risks.

drew-gen-x

I am up over 11% on $XVUS tax lots I bought the last week of March. It's much easier for me to sleep knowing that World ex US indices aren't as overweight the AI circle jerk names as $VTI or $SPY are. TSM, Samsung, ASML, and SK Hynix market cap concentration is 7.9% of $VXUS. Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, both Googles, Broadcom, Meta, and Tesla make up 37% of the market cap of the $SPY. When I mention we are in a dot com 2.0 aka AI cap ex circle jerk bubble everyone points out how profitable Big Tech is today vs dot com ignoring the overconcentration of market cap of a handful of stocks today in $SPY just like dot com.

notapersonaltrainer

Redditors caused the VXUS/VTI peak with the "I just sold all my US" herd posts.

pnutbutterandjerky

Brokerage account, VOO/VTI/VXUS

drew-gen-x

2 things can be true at the same time. This might not be the best time to lump sum into the market and it's also usually a good idea to start good habits like investing ASAP. You have to remember the economy can go into the shitter and the USD can also lose value due to inflation faster than stocks losing value vs USD/DXY. I would figure out a plan. I am more bullish on World ex US than US so I BTD in $VT and $VXUS vs many here BTD in the $SPY or $QQQ. I will say stay away from buying individual stocks until you have a good foundation of at least $100K in indices or ETF's like $VT or $VTI. I think you can count something like $GLD towards that $100k foundation; but don't go all in on anything. Good luck.

drew-gen-x

Nope. I dropped over $60K into the market on the week of March 31, 2026 buying $VT, $VXUS, $EWJ and $GLD. I'm just not a reddit perma-bull tech bro. I am bearish on the USD & AI cap ex circle jerk though

drew-gen-x

I see the downside risks for Gold. I think a retest of $3500 is in the cards. However my cost basis is still around $3500 for my total Gold positions after buying $GLD today. I have been swing trading $GLD, buying when the Gold price is b/w $4400-$4600 in both Feb & March 2026 and selling b/w $4800-$5000. If this swing trade doesn't work this time and Gold continues to drop that's fine b/c I don't mind holding. Long term the USD will move lower and Gold will move higher. I would rather hold Gold over US Treasuries for cash I don't plan on using for the next 2-3 years. Of course I am also buying $VXUS over $VTI or the $SPY for the same reason.

Blandmaan

ayyy nice, we have an identical retirement account. I like where I'm at, I'm trying to max out my Roth 401k with pure S&P 500 exposure, and then split my Roth IRA between AVUV and VXUS so that looks something like 76% VOO, 12% AVUV and 12% VXUS honestly nothing wrong with 100% VOO for a long time horizon in my opinion, but I think VOO/AVUV/VXUS is also solid: it's not overcomplicated, no significant overlaps, and we're getting good exposure to potentially lucrative sectors that VOO doesn't touch.

golf_234

I think I am going to achieve this by higher percentage in VOO and VXUS as they have a self balancing nature to them and are more diversified . To some degrees, the bet on tech is intentional, but I have definitely gone pretty all out with it as I really break it down.

melinda_louise

I see a lot of discussion here about risk tolerance and being aggressive. The more important question is how much are you willing to lose? Make sure the majority of your savings are in the safe diversified things, and if you feel like playing around with stocks then make sure it's money you can afford to part with. I'm sure there are ways to be smarter with your choices, doing lots of research, etc. but at the end of the day it's still basically gambling. I wouldn't say your eggs are all in one basket necessarily by sticking with VOO though. It's still very diversified if you're comparing with individual stocks. If you want to be more diversified you could add in some international exposure (VXUS for example) or small caps or something. Then you're covering the whole market and not just the largest US companies. Or, if you have money to burn and feel strongly about a particular company or sector fund then go for it, just be careful. Most people are much better off sticking with the boring total market funds, unless you get extremely lucky.

Queasy-Doughnut-5512

For a IRA go 70% VOO 20% VXUS and 10% whatever you want just as a personal like to feel less boring

sunfishtommy

what nobody seems to mention in this example you have given, is how does that inflation scenario affect stocks? would it be better to be in VXUS or VOO?

_Springfield

I currently am invested into VOO, VXUS, and AVUV. Would you recommend I sell and put all into VOO?

Emotional-Power-7242

You shouldn't have any single stocks ideally. VOO is not one basket it's every basket in America. Your eggs are all in the American basket though and VXUS would be a good addition to combat that.

InvestingNerd2020

For retirement accounts, 401k/403B/IRA, index mutual funds are great. As your friends told you, ETFs are better for regular taxable brokerage accounts. Replacement options: VTI for FSKAX and VXUS for FTIHX.

WorthContribution457

I feel like holding a few core holding of ETFS like VOO or VTI, DIA and some VXUS for international exposure. Then hold 3-5 stocks you are more bullish on. You wont feel as much downside when the overall market takes dips .

timhottens

I did exactly what you did, and now I'm not buying any more VOO, only VXUS - until I get to 70/30 VOO-VXUS.

thereddituserusa

You could diversify further with VT only or VTI plus VXUS.

dissentmemo

No. You should diversify more. VTI instead of VOO + VXUS for international.

DrVonSpreckle

At 32 with 100k+ income, the edge isnt picking the clever stock. Its building the habit before lifestyle creep eats the surplus. First make sure emergency cash is handled. Then grab any 401k match if available. After that Roth IRA or taxable depending on your situation. For the actual investing, keep it boring at first. VTI or VOO as the core is enough. If you want international later, add VXUS. Dont start with 10 stocks just because Webull makes the buttons easy. Tech isnt bad but VOO/VTI already own a lot of tech. You dont need to overweight the same thing before you understand what you own. Put the $100 to 200/week on auto, let the first year teach discipline, then add smaller bets only after the base is working. The account isnt the plan. The repeatable buy is the plan.

SynapticMelody

1) Emergency fund - enough to cover 3-6 months of essential expenses so you don't get stuck having to draw down investments at an inopportune moment. 2) Make sure your retirement fund is on track for a comfortable retirement. 3) Invest the rest in a taxable brokerage: - One-fund: VT - Or two-fund: VTI + VXUS - Add BND if you need less volatility. - Add VOO for more US large cap exposure. 4) Dollar-cost average and rebalance when your positions get it off balance from their set allocations. Avoid stocks/crypto with any money you can't afford to lose and keep it a small percentage of your portfolio (high risk).

Putrid_Pollution3455

But what if the stonk market crashes! Gasp! 😱 /s Ok you little shit…here’s the everything bagel; 10% each…( GLD IBIT TLT USFR VTI VXUS SSO SPYI ANGL PDBC)

Remote-Community-792

I started investing late at age 34 and my portfolio has grown by a considerable amount in just 3 months. I bought VOO and VXUS with my initial investments which I sold to buy NVDA, RKLB, AMD and GOOG. My portfolio has grown by more than 50% and I can't decide if I should trim down my position in individual stocks and buy indexes or continue to hold. I do see a lot of growth potential still in my stack which is 53% NVDA, 22% RKLB, 17% GOOG and 8% DRAM. Should I continue to hold these and buy ETFs going forward or am I taking a huge risk having a portfolio heavily concentrated in tech

Frosty_Active_2646

There is a lot of overlap with those ETFs. I’d recommend simplifying to VTI and VXUS. Probably around 70% in VTI and 30% VXUS. Look up the boglehead method

Crazy-Cat-Lad

I have UTMA and 529 for my son. Cant pick out individual ETFs in the 529 at Fidelity (like that everywhere?) so i chose some aggressive dividend funds and some classic growth funds for the UTMA (VTI/VXUS/SCHD and QQQI i think). Im keeping it low since it can affect FAFSA but at least itll compound a bit. Plus the first $1350 gains/income in UTMA is tax free. I'm putting more into 529 and nothing into UTMA at this point but any time I get any birthday/xmas money for him, I'll probably split it between the 2

hugh2018

You mentioned you don’t consider your plan to sit in cash to wait for a crash to be market timing. It absolutely is. Your plan is to stay out of the market and return exactly when? At the right time, of course. That’s market timing by definition. If concentration is your concern, you still have tons of options. Sidelining all your money because of concentration concerns is a head in the sand choice that pretends the S&P is the only way to invest. There are so many ways to deal with your concern constructively. SCHD focuses on fundamentally sound, dividend-paying companies with financial health screens. Because of its formula, it naturally has almost zero exposure to non-dividend or low-dividend mega-cap tech like Nvidia or Amazon. It forces a portfolio into boring, cash-flowing sectors like Financials, Healthcare, Consumer Staples, and Industrials—the exact opposite of an AI bubble. RSP holds the exact same 500 companies as SPY or VOO, but it gives every single company an equal 0.2% slice. Tech drops from a dominant 30%+ of the index down to just its mathematically equal share. It historically outperforms market-cap weighting during periods when market concentration unwinds. And there’s VXUS. European, Japanese, and emerging markets don’t have the same mega-cap tech dominance as the US. International indexes are far more heavily weighted toward financials, industrials, and materials. It’s an instant macro-diversifier away from Silicon Valley. Valuations are far more favorable internationally than in the US. International diversification is a robust hedge against US scenarios like the lost decade. The list goes on. If you’re hell bent on staying on the sidelines, SGOV is great for matching the Fed rate, but it doesn't have an explicit inflation tracker built-in. Short-term TIPS are mathematically indexed to the CPI. You can go with VTIP. If inflation spikes again due to geopolitical energy shocks or anything else, the principal adjusts upward to guarantee purchasing power is protected, with zero stock market risk.

onemanmelee

Thanks, appreciate the reply. What I'm leaning towards is, since I already have VTI/VXUS/BND, is maybe just going with VOO in my Roth. It's simple and straightforward, and basically accomplishes the same thing as VTI woiuld, more or less, but avoids any wash sale complications too. But your comment helps to remind me that I'm unlikely to be selling at a loss. Still learning all this stuff, so trying not to step on obvious landmines.