How to Invest in the S&P 500

The S&P 500 index tracks the largest companies in the United States. Its stocks are curated by the S&P Index Committee, which selects companies based on a number of factors, including market capitalization, sector allocation, and liquidity.

While many investors realize equity investing is a sensible way to achieve long-term gains, they may not have the skills, temperment, or patience to pick those individual stocks that might beat the market. Index investing allows them to effectively "be" the market, with a much lower investment threshold than before.

But what if you’re looking to invest in S&P 500 stocks and don’t have the temperament to sift through and analyze 500 companies? You may want to consider an S&P 500 index fund or exchange traded fund (ETF) to help you gain exposure to all those stocks.

Vanguard introduced individual investors to the U.S.'s first mutual fund in 1976. It was designed to mimic the S&P 500 Index. The first ETF was introduced by a subsidiary of AMEX 17 years later, allowing investors to begin tracking the index.

Nearly all major brokerages and fund companies now offer some type of S&P 500 fund. Investors may access these funds through financial advisors, full-service brokers, or discount brokers. If you need some guidance, we break down some of the basics of S&P 500 index investing through ETFs and mutual funds.

What Is the S&P 500 Index?

The S&P 500 Index was launched in 1957 as the first U.S. market-cap-weighted equity index and is widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap U.S. equities. As the most influential equity index in the world, the index has trillions of dollars indexed or benchmarked to it.

The index is traditionally made up of 500 of the leading U.S. companies, although that number may fluctuate. The S&P 500 represents approximately 80% of available U.S. market capitalization. The median market cap of the stocks held in the index is $30.61 billion, with the highest being $3.05 trillion.

S&P 500 stocks reflect the U.S. economy's growth drivers to a significant extent. For example, the top 10 constituents of the S&P 500 by index weight as of June 30, 2023, are as follows:

1. Apple (AAPL)
2. Microsoft (MSFT)
3. Amazon (AMZN)
4. NVIDIA (NVDA)
5. Alphabet Class A (GOOGL)
6. Tesla (TSLA)
7. Meta Class A (META)
8. Alphabet Class C (GOOG)
9. Berkshire Hathaway Class B (BRK.B)
   
10. Unitedhealth Group (UNH)
    

The companies in the index are mostly concentrated in the following three sectors as of March 31, 2023:

• Information technology, the largest sector by weight in the S&P 500 index, at 28.3%
• Healthcare, the second-largest by weight, at 13.4%
• Financials, the third-largest at 12.4%

Together, these three sectors account for more than 50% of the S&P 500, reflecting the dominance of technology in the U.S. economy. Other large sectors in the S&P 500 are consumer discretionary (10.7%) and industrials (8.5%).

The top five sectors together constitute almost 75% of the S&P 500. The other six sectors—communication services, consumer staples, energy, utilities, materials, and real estate—combined make up the rest.

Index ETFs vs. Index Mutual Funds

You cannot invest directly in an index because it's simply a measure of the performance of its constituent securities. What you can do is invest in an index through ETFs and index funds that try to replicate the performance of specific indexes.

ETFs focus on passive index replication, giving investors access to every security within a particular index. So an S&P 500 ETF exposes the investor to all of the stocks in that index. Index ETFs are generally low-cost and trade throughout the day just like stocks. Consequently, they are highly liquid and subject to intraday price fluctuations.

S&P 500 index funds tend to have slightly higher fees than ETFs because of higher operating expenses. Furthermore, because a mutual fund has a structure that differs slightly from that of an ETF, investors can only buy it at the day’s closing price, which is based on the fund's net asset value (NAV).

The following are examples of index ETFs and mutual funds that are popular with investors:

• The largest S&P 500 ETF is State Street Global Advisors' SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which has $415.86 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of July 6, 2023. SPY was launched in January 1993 and was the very first ETF listed in the U.S.
• Index investing pioneer Vanguard's S&P 500 Index Fund was the first index mutual fund for individual investors. The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) is one of the largest index funds, with total assets of $823.10 billion as of May 31, 2023.
  

Buying an S&P 500 Fund or ETF

If you want an inexpensive way to invest in S&P 500 ETFs, you can gain exposure through discount brokers. These financial professionals offer commission-free trading on all passive ETF products. But keep in mind that some brokers may impose minimum investment requirements.

S&P 500 index funds also trade through brokers and discount brokers and may also be accessed directly from the fund companies. You may want to manage your portfolio through an advisor or a broker, or you may prefer to manage a portfolio of funds that are all housed within a specific mutual fund provider.

If you have the option, you may also access ETFs and mutual funds through employer 401(k) programs, individual retirement accounts (IRA), or roboadvisor platforms.

What to Look for

Whether you're a novice or an experienced investor, there are a few things you'll have to consider before you lay down any money. If you don't have an investment account, be sure you find a brokerage or investment firm where you can purchase shares of your chosen ETFs or mutual funds.

Cost is a big factor when it comes to any investment. The expense ratio for ETFs is the overall annual cost paid to the fund manager by investors. An expense ratio between 0.5% to 0.75% is considered good. Be sure to approach anything greater than 1.5% with caution as funds that charge these expense ratios are considered high.

Many mutual funds come with sales loads or commissions that are paid to the fund managers by investors. These may be classified as front-end or back-end loads. The first is charged when you buy the fund while the latter is charged when you sell your fund shares. Funds that are sold directly by the investment provider don't come with a load.

Although cost is an important factor, don't forget to look at the performance of the fund. You can find the fact sheet for every investment on the website of the company offering the ETF or the mutual fund.

How to Invest

Choosing the right funds is half the battle. Knowing how to invest in them is the next step. Make a note of the name and ticker symbol of all the funds that you're interested in as you'll need this information when you begin purchasing shares.

Then determine the amount of capital available to use. This can help you figure out how much money you can afford to pay your brokerage firm when it comes to fees and commissions. If you don't have an account, look for one that meets your criteria. If you don't have a lot of capital, look for a firm that offers low-fee trading options.

Once your account is set up, you can begin investing in your funds.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Investing in the S&P 500

If you're still on the fence about an index ETF or fund, consider how long it would take for you to do your research on each stock. After all that time and effort, you may find the investment performance may be well below the results that could be obtained merely by investing in an S&P 500 index fund or ETF because it is extremely difficult to beat the market.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett has some sage advice for wannabe stock pickers. Buffett reiterated on multiple occasions that the average investor is best served by investing in an S&P 500 index fund, and not by trying to pick stocks. At the 2021 Berkshire Hathaway AGM, Buffett hammered home this point by noting that of the 20 largest companies in the world by market capitalization in 1989, not one remains among the top 20 today.

Investing in an S&P 500 ETF or fund is a single-ticket solution to get exposure to many of the world's most dynamic companies in the largest economy. It eliminates having to spend countless hours analyzing and picking stocks. And the index is a consistent performer over the long term. In the 10 years ended Oct. 4, 2022, the S&P 500 generated an annualized return of 10%.

Below, we've listed some of the most common pros and cons of investing in this index.

Advantages

Some of the benefits of investing in the S&P 500 include:

• Exposure to the world's most dynamic companies: Investing in the S&P 500 gives an investor exposure to some of the world's most dynamic companies, such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Tesla.
• Consistent long-term returns: Although returns in any single year can vary widely over a long-term period, the S&P 500 has been a consistent performer.
• Intricate analysis not required: Investing in the S&P 500 through an ETF or index fund means that you do not have to spend hours analyzing and picking stocks in a futile attempt to beat the market.
• Can serve as a core holding: S&P 500 index funds and ETFs are very liquid and trade with tight bid-ask spreads. This makes S&P 500 funds and ETFs ideal as core holdings for most investment portfolios and makes them suitable for advanced strategies like covered calls and hedging.

Disadvantages

The following are some of the main drawbacks of investing in the S&P 500:

• The index is dominated by large-cap companies: The S&P 500 is dominated by large-cap companies, with its 10 biggest constituents accounting for almost one-third of the index. This means that the S&P 500 index does not have any exposure to small-cap and mid-cap stocks that may have the ability to grow much faster than large-cap stocks.
• The index has risks inherent in equity investing: The S&P 500 has risks inherent in equity investing, such as volatility and downside risk. For example, the index lost almost one-third of its value in the space of a few weeks in March 2020. Newer investors may find it difficult to tolerate such volatility.
• Only includes U.S. companies: The S&P 500 only includes U.S. companies and excludes companies in other parts of the world, such as Asia and Europe.

Advancing Beyond a Passive S&P 500 Index Fund

If you want an advanced approach to S&P 500 fund investing, consider smart beta indexes. These options have lower costs and offer the advantage of fundamental or customized investing. Examples of such funds include the AAM S&P 500 High Dividend Fund (SPDV) and the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index Fund (RSP). You can also target index segments that offer capital appreciation potential, with funds like the SPDR sector series or dividend-focused funds.

Many fund managers also offer active S&P 500 funds, which focus primarily on S&P 500 names but actively trade names beyond those strictly found in the index. There are also leveraged funds, which offer a simplified hedging approach. Bullish leveraged funds use leverage to multiply the return of the S&P 500 when it performs well. Bearish leveraged funds short the S&P 500 to pull in positive returns when the index falls.

The Bottom Line

Investing in an S&P 500 index fund is a great way to diversify your portfolio. Whether you choose an ETF or a mutual fund depends on how much you can afford and what your goals are for the future. Regardless of which option you choose (or if you choose both), you're likely to see some consistent returns. Make sure you have the right brokerage account for your needs so you'll save on fees and commissions.

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