Do index funds beat individual stocks?
Individual stocks may rise and fall, but indexes tend to rise over time. With index funds, you won't get bull returns during a bear market. But you won't lose cash in a single investment that sinks as the market turns skyward, either. And the S&P 500 has posted an average annual return of nearly 10% since 1928.
It is relatively common to beat the market for 1–3 years at a time. That can largely be explained by luck. But the data clearly shows that even professional fund managers are unable to beat the market consistently over a longer period of time, like 10–15 years.
All investments carry some degree of risk and can lose value if the overall market declines or, in the case of individual stocks, the company folds. Still, mutual funds are generally considered safer than stocks because they are inherently diversified, which helps mitigate the risk and volatility in your portfolio.
If you're looking to make a long-term investment, then index funds may be a good option. But if you don't have the time or patience to wait out the market fluctuations, then purchasing individual stocks might be more suitable for your needs.
Index funds seek market-average returns, while active mutual funds try to outperform the market. Active mutual funds typically have higher fees than index funds. Index fund performance is relatively predictable; active mutual fund performance tends to be less so.
Index Funds Present Lower Risk
The failed company is only a small fraction of the overall fund rather than the entire investment, similar to if you had invested in an individual stock. This inherently makes index funds much lower risk.
Is Investing in the S&P 500 Less Risky Than Buying a Single Stock? Generally, yes. The S&P 500 is considered well-diversified by sector, which means it includes stocks in all major areas, including technology and consumer discretionary—meaning declines in some sectors may be offset by gains in other sectors.
FSA highlights the 10 US equity funds that outperformed the S&P 500 index by over 20% last year. A standout year of strong returns for US equities would have been a surprise to many market participants at the start of 2023, since a recession was widely anticipated by economists at the time.
As of Q2 2023, Linde plc (NYSE:LIN) shares were held by 70 of the 910 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey, valued at $4.6 billion. This makes Linde plc (NYSE:LIN) the most commonly owned stock by hedge funds on our list of 13 stocks that outperform the S&P 500 every year for the last 5 years.
For those with financial know-how and a high risk-taking capacity, investing in stocks can be an ideal choice. On the other hand, index funds offer diversification by bundling many stocks together, making them perfect for risk-averse investors or those who want to avoid the stock-picking process.
Why not to invest in individual stocks?
Financial pros like Benz urge investors to build broadly diversified portfolios for a reason: While the overall historical trajectory of the stock market has trended upward, any individual stock has a chance to decline sharply in price and destroy your portfolio's returns.
If you have enough money to invest, are willing to accept the risk and want a high degree of involvement, individual stocks may be a good choice. Potential Growth of Principal – Stocks have a long track record of providing higher returns than bonds or cash-alternative investments.
However, while many of them are regarded as financial wizards, often their investments are utterly pedestrian. In fact, a number of billionaire investors count S&P 500 index funds among their top holdings.
If you're new to investing, you can absolutely start off by buying index funds alone as you learn more about how to choose the right stocks. But as your knowledge grows, you may want to branch out and add different companies to your portfolio that you feel align well with your personal risk tolerance and goals.
Disadvantages include the lack of downside protection, no choice in index composition, and it cannot beat the market (by definition).
Financial Advisors' Fees Are Too High to Use Index Funds
We looked at the overwhelming body of research that points to the low-odds of outperforming the market over the long run using stock-picking or market-timing strategies.
Although any index fund comes with risk of loss, like all investments, some funds may have a real possibility of losing a significant portion of investment capital. Leveraged funds and funds that invest in derivative products have a higher-than-average chance to produce suboptimal returns.
While indexes may be low cost and diversified, they prevent seizing opportunities elsewhere. Moreover, indexes do not provide protection from market corrections and crashes when an investor has a lot of exposure to stock index funds.
Investing in funds, such as exchange-traded funds and low-cost index funds, is often less risky than investing in individual stocks — something that might be especially attractive during a recession.
Ideally, you should stay invested in equity index funds for the long run, i.e., at least 7 years. That is because investing in any equity instrument for the short-term is fraught with risks. And as we saw, the chances of getting positive returns improve when you give time to your investments.
What is a better investment than index funds?
And, in general, ETFs tend to be more tax efficient than index mutual funds. You want niche exposure. Specific ETFs focused on particular industries or commodities can give you exposure to market niches.
In 1980, had you invested a mere $1,000 in what went on to become the top-performing stock of S&P 500, then you would be sitting on a cool $1.2 million today.
Less than 10% of active large-cap fund managers have outperformed the S&P 500 over the last 15 years. The biggest drag on investment returns is unavoidable, but you can minimize it if you're smart.
The S&P 500 returned 345% over the last two decades, compounding at 7.7% annually. But with dividends reinvested, the S&P 500 delivered a total return of 546% over the same period, compounding at 9.8% annually. Investors can get direct, inexpensive exposure to the index with a fund like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF.
We took a look at the best performing S&P 500 stocks over the past five years, with the top three performers being NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH), and Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH).
