Should We All Just Buy The S&P 500?
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the common advice to invest in the S&P 500, a market capitalization-weighted index of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. It explains why this is a popular strategy due to its diversification, historical performance, low fees, and ease of investment. However, it also highlights potential downsides such as lack of international diversification, sector concentration risk, overvaluation concerns, and limited exposure to small-cap stocks. The script then explores alternatives like investing in an All-World Fund ETF for global diversification. It also compares the S&P 500 to an 'almost daily dividend portfolio', considering factors like risk spreading, historical performance, fees, and ease of investment. The video concludes by suggesting that investors might consider a balanced approach, including both the S&P 500 and dividend-focused portfolios, and offers a free PDF guide on dividend investing strategies.
Takeaways
- 📈 Investing in the S&P 500 is a common recommendation due to its representation of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the US and its role as a key economic indicator.
- 🌐 The S&P 500 is a market capitalization-weighted index that includes companies from various sectors, offering diversification and reducing risk by spreading investments across multiple industries.
- 💼 To invest in the S&P 500, one can use index funds or ETFs that replicate the index's composition, which are accessible through investment apps or brokerages.
- 💰 Historically, the S&P 500 has shown an average annual growth of about 10%, making it a potentially solid choice for long-term investors.
- 📉 Despite its benefits, investing solely in the S&P 500 may lack diversification across other regions, asset classes, and smaller companies.
- 📊 The S&P 500 can be influenced by sector concentration, overvaluation concerns, and may not always represent the best growth opportunities compared to other markets.
- 🌍 An alternative to the S&P 500 could be investing in an All-World fund ETF, which offers exposure to a broader global equity market.
- 🏦 Investing in the S&P 500 typically involves lower fees due to the passive management strategy of index funds and ETFs, as well as economies of scale.
- 👌 Both the S&P 500 and the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio can be easily invested in through platforms like Trading 212, making them accessible to a wide range of investors.
- 🤔 The choice between investing in the S&P 500 or the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio depends on individual preferences for risk, diversification, and dividend frequency.
- 📚 The video suggests that rather than choosing one over the other, investors might consider a balanced approach, incorporating elements from both strategies to align with their financial goals.
Q & A
What is the S&P 500 and why is it commonly recommended for investment?
-The S&P 500, or Standard & Poor's 500, is a market capitalization-weighted index consisting of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. It is commonly recommended because it offers diversification across various sectors, has a history of long-term growth, typically entails lower fees compared to other investments, and is easy to invest in through index funds or ETFs.
How does the S&P 500 serve as an indicator of the US economy's health?
-The S&P 500 provides insights into the overall health of the US stock market and the economy. When the index rises, it suggests that the value of the collective stocks of the included companies is increasing, reflecting positive sentiment and economic growth. Conversely, a decline may indicate economic uncertainty or downturn.
How can an individual invest in the S&P 500?
-Individuals can invest in the S&P 500 through index funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the performance of the index. These funds pool money from multiple investors to buy shares of the companies included in the S&P 500. Investors can purchase shares of these funds through brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, or investment platforms.
What are some downsides to investing solely in the S&P 500?
-While the S&P 500 offers diversification, it is heavily focused on the US market, which means investors may miss out on opportunities in other regions and asset classes. There is also the risk of sector concentration, where the performance of certain sectors can disproportionately impact the index. Additionally, there may be concerns of overvaluation, and the index excludes smaller companies that could offer higher growth potential.
What is an alternative to investing in the S&P 500 for global diversification?
-An alternative is to invest in an All-World fund ETF, also known as a global equity fund ETF or total world ETF. This type of ETF invests in stocks from companies around the world, providing broad exposure to the global equity market and diversifying the portfolio across various countries, regions, industries, and sectors.
What is the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio and how does it compare to the S&P 500?
-The Almost Daily Dividends portfolio is a collection of dividend-paying stocks designed to provide regular income to investors. It is not directly comparable to the S&P 500, as it focuses on dividend frequency and may have fewer holdings. However, it can be considered as an alternative for those seeking income investments, with its own set of risks and potential rewards.
How does the diversification offered by the S&P 500 compare to that of the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio?
-The S&P 500 offers diversification across 500 companies in various sectors, while the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio has 50 stocks. Although the S&P 500 has more holdings, studies suggest that having about 20 to 30 stocks is sufficient to diversify away market risk, making the diversification of the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio relatively comparable.
What are the historical performance trends of the S&P 500 and the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio?
-The S&P 500 has a history of long-term growth, averaging about a 10% increase per year. The Almost Daily Dividends portfolio, being established in September 2020, has a shorter history. Over the past 5 years, the S&P 500 has shown a return of 14.68%, while the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio has a lower return of 11.33%.
What are the fee structures for investing in the S&P 500 and the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio?
-Investing in the S&P 500 typically involves low fees due to the passive management strategy of index funds and ETFs. There may be an ongoing fee, usually around 0.07%. The Almost Daily Dividends portfolio has no ongoing fee but incurs a foreign currency fee of 0.15% from Trading 212 and a potential 2% fee if you buy or invest in the portfolio.
How does the ease of investing in the S&P 500 compare to the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio?
-Both the S&P 500 and the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio are easy to invest in, thanks to platforms like Trading 212 that allow for simple investment through a few clicks. The main difference is that the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio requires signing up to an email list to get updates about the portfolio and any changes made to it.
What is the author's perspective on choosing between the S&P 500 and the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio?
-The author suggests that if an investor does not care about dividends or dividend frequency, the S&P 500 might be the better choice. However, for those seeking income, the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio is more suitable. The S&P 500 may outperform during bull markets but will also experience greater drops during bear markets. The author also mentions that it's reasonable to have both in a diversified portfolio.
Outlines
📊 Investing in the S&P 500: The Golden Rule of Investing?
This paragraph introduces the common advice given on online finance forums to invest in the S&P 500, questioning its validity and suggesting there may be issues with this approach that are not widely discussed. The S&P 500 is explained as a market capitalization-weighted index of 500 large U.S. companies, with a rigorous selection process overseen by S&P Dow Jones Indices. The index's performance is a key indicator of the U.S. economy's health, and it serves as a benchmark for investment portfolios. The paragraph also outlines how one can invest in the S&P 500 through index funds or ETFs, with examples provided from Vanguard, and mentions the use of trading platforms like Trading 212, which offers a promo code for new users.
🤔 The Pros and Cons of Investing in the S&P 500
The second paragraph delves into the reasons why people recommend investing in the S&P 500, such as diversification across various industries, historical performance with an average annual growth of about 10%, lower fees due to passive management, and ease of investment for all investor profiles. It also addresses the downsides of this strategy, including a lack of diversification outside the U.S. market, sector concentration risk, potential overvaluation, and limited exposure to small and mid-cap stocks. The paragraph challenges the notion that the S&P 500 is the only way to invest and suggests considering other options.
🌐 Exploring Alternatives to the S&P 500: Global Diversification
This paragraph discusses the limitations of investing solely in the S&P 500 and introduces the concept of global diversification as an alternative strategy. It mentions the potential risks of focusing only on U.S. stocks and suggests considering all-world funds, which are ETFs that invest in companies globally, providing exposure to a broader range of industries and sectors. The paragraph also compares the historical performance of U.S. stocks to international stocks, highlighting the importance of considering a longer-term perspective beyond recent trends.
💰 Comparing the S&P 500 with the Almost Daily Dividends Portfolio
The final paragraph compares the S&P 500 with the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio (Pi), discussing the differences in diversification, historical performance, fees, and ease of investment. It acknowledges that while the S&P 500 has a longer history and more holdings, the Almost Daily Dividends portfolio offers a different approach with a focus on dividend income. The paragraph suggests that investors may choose between the two based on their interest in dividends and market conditions, and it encourages viewers to consider a balanced approach by including both in their investment strategy. The video concludes with an offer of a free PDF guide on dividend investing and an invitation to join an email list for updates and special offers.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡S&P 500
💡Investing
💡Diversification
💡Index Funds
💡ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds)
💡Risk Management
💡Market Capitalization
💡Compounding Returns
💡Sector Concentration Risk
💡Overvaluation
💡All World Fund ETF
💡Dividend Investing
Highlights
Investing in the S&P 500 is widely recommended in online finance forums, often without understanding the full implications.
The S&P 500 is a market capitalization-weighted index of 500 large publicly traded companies in the US.
The index includes companies from various sectors like technology, healthcare, finance, consumer goods, and industrials.
The S&P 500 serves as a benchmark for the overall health of the US stock market and economy.
Investing in the S&P 500 offers diversification across multiple sectors, reducing the risk associated with individual companies.
The S&P 500 has a historical average annual return of about 10%, making it a solid choice for long-term investors.
Index funds and ETFs that track the S&P 500 offer low expense ratios, making them a cost-effective investment option.
Investing in the S&P 500 is straightforward and accessible to investors of all backgrounds.
There are downsides to solely investing in the S&P 500, such as lack of diversification across regions and asset classes.
The S&P 500's performance can be heavily influenced by certain sectors, leading to sector concentration risk.
Investing in an overvalued market could lead to lower returns or losses if stock prices revert to more reasonable levels.
The S&P 500 excludes small-cap and mid-cap stocks, which may offer higher growth potential.
An alternative to the S&P 500 is an all-world fund ETF, which provides exposure to a broader range of global equities.
Comparing the S&P 500 to the 'Almost Daily Dividend' portfolio reveals differences in diversification, history, and fees.
It's possible to invest in both the S&P 500 and other diversified portfolios to balance risk and return.
Transcripts
the go-to advice on pretty much any
online Finance Forum ever seems to be
just invest in the S&P 500 bro as it's
banded about so often even people who
don't understand what investing in the
S&P 500 actually entails still power at
it as if it's the golden rule of
investing and anyone doing something
else is a what if I told you
there's some issues with simply
investing in the S&P 500 that you
probably weren't aware of and following
generic advice you find from overly
confident people online might not
actually suit your goals in this video
we will look at what exactly investing
in the S&P 500 is why it's the common
go-to advice what the downsides are and
what people might be missing finally as
it's asked so often I'll also compare
investing in the almost daily dividend
portfolio with the S&P 500 and which
might suit your goals better hello and
welcome back to the dividend experiment
the channel that helps you build a
portfolio that pays your bills the
content that'll be discussed is intended
for information and educational purposes
only it should not be considered
investment advice or investment
recommendation firstly what is the S&P
500 and how do you even invest in it the
S&P 500 or standard and pause 500 is a
market capitalization weighted index
that consists of 500 of the largest
publicly traded companies in the United
States so S&P is short for standard and
pores which is a rating agency and 500
just means the 500 companies these
companies span various sectors of the
economy including technology Healthcare
Finance consumer goods and Industrials
the selection process for inclusion in
the S&P 500 is rigorous and conducted by
the S&P Dow Jones indices a division of
S&P Global factors considered include
market capitalization which is the total
value of the company's outstanding
shares liquidity or how easily shares of
a company can be bought or sold and
Industry
representation companies must meet
specific criteria to be eligible such as
being based in the US having minimum
market capitalization and having
positive earnings for the most recent
four quarters the index is weighted by
market capitalization meaning that
companies with higher Market values have
a greater impact on the index's
performance this ensures that larger
companies influence the index more than
smaller ones the performance of the S&P
500 is closely watched by investors
economists policy makers and analysts
because it provides insights into the
overall health of the US Stock Market
and to the economy too when the index
Rises it suggests the value of the
collective stocks of the included
companies is increasing reflecting
positive sentiment and economic growth
conversely a decline in the index May
indicate economic uncertainty or
downturn basically a lot of the time
when people say the market is doing this
or the market is doing such and such
they actually mean the US Stock Market
specifically and the S&P 500 as a
representation of that Additionally the
S&P 500 serves as a benchmark for
evaluating the performance of investment
portfolios in individual stocks
investors will often compare their
portfolio returns to the returns of the
S&P 500 to assess how well their
Investments are doing relative to the
broader
Market overall the S&P 500 plays a
significant role in financial markets
and serves as a key indicator of the
state of the US economy in other words
it's a pretty big deal when it comes to
investing but how do you invest in it
basically you need to find a fund
provider and an investment app or
brokerage let me explain how to do both
one common way to invest in the S&P 500
is through index funds or exchange
traded funds ETFs that track the
performance of the index These funds
pull the money from multiple investors
to buy shares of the companies included
in the S&P 500 in proportions that mimic
the index's composition investors can
buy shares of these funds through
brokerage accounts retirement accounts
or investment platforms index funds
typically offer low expense ratios
making them a cost- effective way to
gain exposure to the S&P 500 here's some
examples these two are from Vanguard
which is one of the most well-known and
trusted investment management companies
in the world the tickers here are V USA
and vag the differences are that V USA
pays out a dividend and vag reinvests it
for you so it's a personal choice of
preference but these are just two
examples of funds that people can use to
invest in the S&P 500 you might be able
to find ones that are better or cheaper
but we don't really have the scope to go
into that in this video so now we have
the fund we also need the Investment app
and if you followed the channel for a
while you know that I recommend trading
to 212 is the best option for the
majority of use cases and users and in
this video it's going to be no different
on top of that I asked trading 212 if
they could give me a unique code that
you guys can simply type into the promo
code section Capital At Risk so if
you've opened up a new account recently
or planning to open an account then here
it is div XP or divv exp short for
dividend experiment so you have 10 days
from opening your account to type this
in and receive shares worth up to100
pound I also get something is this is my
custom code so this helps you support
the channel too and if you do use it
thank you for your support and thanks to
trading 212 for sponsoring this video so
now we have a fund and a way to buy it
but it leaves the bigger question should
we just buy the S&P 500 so imagine you
have some money and you want to invest
it to make more money over time one
popular way people do this is by
investing in the S&P 500 here's why
people often suggest investing in the
S&P 500 spreading the risk investing in
the S&P 500 offers diversification
across a wide array of companies
spanning various Industries including
technology Healthcare and finance each
company operates independently so the
success or failure of one isn't directly
tied to the others this diversification
helps reduce Risk by spreading your
investment across multiple sectors
shielding you from the potential
negative impact of poor performance in
any single company moreover because your
investment is spread across 500
companies the impact of individual
company performance is minimized even if
one company such as is let's call it
company a performs poorly the gains from
other companies that are thriving can
help offset those losses essentially
you're not rying on the success of any
single company to make money providing a
more stable investment approach this
risk management strategy combined with a
historical long-term growth Trend
mirroring the overall US economy
positions investors to benefit from
potential growth while mitigating the
risk associated with individual
companies fluctuations reason two good
history the S&P 500 has a history of
doing well for investors on average it's
gone up by about 10% each year this
means that if you put your money into
the S&P 500 it has a good chance of
growing by around 10% every year on
average though of course past results
are not an indication of future returns
this success is tied to how US economy
grows over time when the economy does
well companies make more money and their
stock prices usually go up the S&P 500
reflects this growth making it a solid
choice for long-term investors plus even
though the stock market can be bumpy in
the short term sticking with the S&P 500
for the Long Haul often pays off this is
because your investment can keep growing
over time thanks to something called
compounding returns so by staying
patient and sticking with it you can
benefit from the Market's tendency to
bounce back and bring in positive
results reason three you pay less in
fees investing in the S&P 500 typically
entails lower fees compared to other
investment options for a few key reasons
firstly index funds and ETFs that track
the S&P 500 operate on a no passive
management strategy meaning they aim to
replicate the index's composition rather
than actively pick and choose stocks and
therefore paying trading fees this
passive approach reduces the need for
costly fund managers and extensive
research resulting in lower fees for
investors Additionally the popularity of
these funds among investors allows them
to benefit from economies of scale
spreading fixed costs across a larger
pool of assets and further driving down
fees since the index's composition
doesn't change frequently these funds
don't need to make frequent adjust ments
to their Holdings reducing transaction
costs and reason for it's easy to do
investing in the S&P 500 is not only
accessible but also straightforward for
investors of all backgrounds you don't
need to be a financial expert to get
started through specialized investment
funds known as index funds which are
readily available through banks and
investment companies investors can
easily gain exposure to the S&P 500
investing in the S&P 500 follows a
passive strategy where investors
essentially go along with a broader
Market rather than trying to outs Market
this approach eliminates the stress and
complexity associated with picking
individual stocks and trying to time the
market instead investors can simply
trust in the long-term growth potential
of the US economy and Studies have shown
that passive investing strategies such
as investing in the S&P 500 often yield
favorable results over the long term by
embracing a hands-off approach and
letting the market do its work investors
can benefit from the Market's overall
upward trajectory while avoiding the
pitfalls of active trading so these are
some pretty compelling reasons to invest
in the S&P 500 and to be clear I don't
think simply choosing to invest in One
Fund that tracks the S&P 500 is a bad
idea for many people however there are
downsides that are never really
discussed when people give the advice
that it's the only way to
invest lack of
diversification now I know what you're
thinking I just said the S&P 500 was
diverse how can it be a downside too
while the S&P 500 provides exposures to
a wide range of companies across
different SE sectors is still heavily
focused on the US market by investing
solely in the S&P 500 you may miss out
on opportunities for diversification
across other regions and asset classes
such as International stocks or bonds or
real estate and commodities and
diversifying your portfolio can help
reduce risk and improve returns over the
long
term sector concentration risk the
composition of the S&P 500 is not static
and can be heavily influenced by the
performance of certain sectors at
different times
for example technology stocks have had a
significant weight in recent years if a
particular sector experiences a downturn
it can have a disproportionate impact on
the overall performance of the index and
your investment returns overvaluation
concerns at certain times the S&P 500
may be considered overvalued based on
metrics like price to earning ratios or
historical Trends investing in an
overvalued Market could potentially lead
to lower returns or even losses if stock
prices revert to more reasonable levels
and finally limited exposure to small
cap and midcap stocks while the S&P 500
includes 500 of the largest US companies
it therefore excludes smaller companies
known as small cap and midcap stocks
these companies may offer higher growth
potential compared to their larger
counterparts but they're not represented
by the index by investing solely in the
S&P 500 you miss out on the potential
benefits of these smaller
companies so what's an alternative Nick
muli on his blog of dollars and data has
a great post on this topic should your
portfolio be 100% US Stocks he writes
after looking at this plot you might
argue there's no point in owning
International stocks CU they simply
haven't performed as well as US stocks
in the past and while this is
technically true a lot of the argument
hinges on data from the most recent
decade when we control for this recency
bias US Stocks don't look quite as
impressive for example if we run this
exact same analysis back in 2013 which
would have excluded the last 10 years US
Stocks would have only outperformed
International stocks in 41% of all
rolling 10-year periods as you can see
in this plot from 1970 to 2013 US Stocks
were more likely to underperform than
outperform International stocks over a
random 10-year window it's because of
this recency bias that telling people
they should only invest in US Stocks
sounds like smart solid advice but who
knows what the future holds and whether
the US will outperform going forward too
one alternative is to invest in all
World fund an all World fund ETF also
known as a global Equity Fund ETF or
total World ETF is an exchange traded
fund that invests in stocks from
companies all around the world across
various countries and regions these ETFs
aim to provide investors with broad
exposure to the global Equity Market in
a single investment
vehicle the composition of an all World
fund ETF typically includes stocks from
both developed and Emerging Markets
covering a wide range of Industries and
sectors by investing in such ETF
investors can gain exposure to thousands
of companies worldwide diversifying
their portfolio and potentially reducing
risk all World ETFs are designed to
track the performance of specific Global
Equity index such as the msci all
country World index or the footsie all
World index these indexes represent the
overall Global Equity market and include
stocks from both developed and emerging
economies you can find these types of
funds on trading 22 and maybe I'll make
another video on different types of
these and what they all mean if you want
finally as I said at the beginning of
the video I'll compare the almost daily
dividends pi to the S&P 500 now this is
a very common question on the pi should
you just invest in the S&P 500 instead
of the almost daily dividends P now at
first these two types of Investments
aren't really comparable in my opinion
so it's strange to me to consider them
as a verses but if we look back at those
four points I mentioned earlier about
why the S&P 500 is touted as a good
investment strategy we can see if they
apply to the almost daily dividend P too
so first was was spreading the risk the
S&P 500 has well 500 stocks in it
whereas the almost daily dividend P has
50 that's 10 times less so S&P 500
clearly wins here in terms of number of
Holdings however if you watch this video
I made recently you only really need
about 20 to 30 stocks to diversify away
the market risk so we can argue It's
relatively even there second reason was
good history I made the almost daily
dividends p in SE setember 2020 so in
terms of length of History the S&P 500
obviously wins however we can use the
feature on trading 2 on2 pi to check the
returns of the past 5 years it's called
the a so if we look at the S&P a in The
Last 5 Years while not forgetting that
post from Nick muli we looked at earlier
about recency bias we can see that it's
14.68% then looking at the almost daily
dividend portfolio we can see it is
lower at
11.33% okay next one Pay Less in fees
but the S&P is very cheap however it
does come with the ongoing fee depending
on which fund provider you go with
usually these are very very small like
0.07% but there is a fee the fee you
have to pay on the almost daily dividend
p is slightly different in structure
there's no ongoing fee so no fee to hold
on to it but you do pay a foreign
currency fee of 0.15% from training 2
and two if you buy or invest in this pie
so pretty cheap too really easy to do
both are super easy to do thanks to the
pi feature you can invest in either with
a few clicks thanks to trading 2 on two
pies the only difference really is the
almost da dividend Pi is best when you
sign up to the email list to get updates
about the p and any changes I make to
it my thoughts fairly comparable
offering but here are my thoughts on the
two options if you literally don't care
about dividends or don't care about
dividend frequency then just go for the
S&P 500 that's the main offering and
purpose of the pi if you do want income
then the pi is obviously
the S&P 500 will likely outperform
during the good times or bull markets
however it will also drop more than the
almost daily div pie during downtimes or
bare markets my other thought is that
you don't necessarily need to do an
either or it's perfectly reasonable to
have both and you can see how I
structure this and my entire philosophy
on investing in my video called the
metronome if you like this video and if
you made it this far I'm guessing you
probably did then I have some good news
for you I'm giving away my PDF Guide to
the 10 dividend investing Commandments
or the criteria that I use to pick
dividend paying stocks and I'm giving it
away to you for free all you need to do
is submit your email in the link below
and you'll get delivered to your inbox
straight away again that's for free but
that's not the only benefit of joining
the email you also get updates on the
almost daily dividend portfolio
interesting stock ideas or news and
special deals and free stuff that I can
share with you thanks for watching and I
hope to see you on the next video see
you
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