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28 minutes ago
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The Median Retirement Savings for American Households is $87,000. Here Are 5 Incredible Investments to Buy Now and Hold for Decades.
Americans aren't saving enough for retirement. Here are three exchange-traded funds to build your nest egg around. Complement them with top-notch individual stocks, such as this AI leader, plus a cryptocurrency to protect against inflation. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard S&P 500 ETF › Despite the remarkable U.S. economy, Americans are falling dramatically short of their retirement goals. According to research by The Motley Fool, most Americans are saving and investing in a retirement account, but just 34% believe that they're on track to hit their goals. The study found that the median U.S. household has just $87,000 saved, with the typical household reaching a peak of around $200,000 between the ages of 65 and 74. If you're still working, a diversified investment portfolio can help you change your financial trajectory, even if you're starting later than you had hoped to. Here are five incredible investments to consider for your long-term portfolio that could help move the needle for your retirement over the coming decades. Consider buying and holding them today. For quick and straightforward portfolio diversification, consider exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These are collections of individual stocks that trade under a single ticker symbol. Among them, it's hard to beat the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO). This ETF tracks the S&P 500, an index of 500 prominent U.S. companies. Investing in this ETF provides exposure to various market sectors and industries. The S&P 500 adheres to strict selection criteria that help maintain its quality. Its system works. The S&P 500 is arguably the most proven wealth-building machine of all time, making it a no-brainer to include in your retirement portfolio. Diversifying your portfolio goes beyond the companies and industries you invest in. It also includes geographic markets. Therefore, you should consider an ETF such as the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (NYSEMKT: VT), a global stock market ETF with over 9,700 individual stocks from almost every industry across various countries. It represents an investment in the broader global economy, which is crucial because there may be times when the U.S. stock market stumbles or lags behind other countries. This ETF pairs nicely with the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF as a foundation for your nest egg that should last as long as you need it to. Now, it's time to look to growth to help your money compound over the coming decades. Consider the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) a fantastic starting point. This ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100, an index with a heavy focus on technology stocks. It provides abundant exposure to the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, which lead the way in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, e-commerce, digital advertising, and other high-growth industries. This fund can be more volatile, but it has outperformed the S&P 500 over its lifetime. That may not always be the case, but the world is becoming increasingly tech driven, making the Invesco QQQ an excellent way to bet on innovation as a whole. It's fine to sprinkle in some individual stocks after you have built a foundation for your portfolio. AI could create trillions of dollars in economic value down the road, making it perhaps the most important growth story you can invest in right now. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has already established itself as an AI powerhouse. It's the dominant leader in supplying chips used to train and run AI models in data centers. Nvidia continues to grow as companies invest billions to build data centers, and experts predict that these expenditures could amount to trillions of dollars over the coming years. Beyond that, Nvidia could also play a part in emerging AI-driven technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and humanoid robotics. Nvidia is a total package that should continue to thrive, considering the AI era is only just beginning. President Donald Trump recently signed his "One Big Beautiful Bill" into law, officially raising America's debt ceiling. It's another sign that the U.S. government figures to continue spending to support its interests, a long-standing pattern that has steadily increased the country's debt. As a result, it may be worthwhile to include some anti-inflationary investments in your portfolio. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is the largest and most prominent cryptocurrency. Its status and capped maximum supply have resulted in staggering price appreciation that has easily outpaced the stock market for years. Alternatively, if you're skeptical of cryptocurrencies, consider investing in gold, which remains a popular hedge against inflation to this day. Either way, having some anti-inflationary investments is yet another way to cover all your bases and mitigate risk. Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $671,477!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,010,880!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025 Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Nvidia, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Median Retirement Savings for American Households is $87,000. Here Are 5 Incredible Investments to Buy Now and Hold for Decades. was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Best ETF to Buy After the S&P 500's Record Close
The S&P 500 has been on a tear of late thanks to strong performances from stocks of several U.S. companies. The U.S. market, however, has actually been lagging the performance of its overseas counterparts. This leadership disparity could last for years, forcing investors to make a choice they've not faced in some time. 10 stocks we like better than iShares Trust - iShares Core Msci Eafe ETF › Got the itch to dive headfirst back into the stock market? It would be understandable if you did. After all, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) recently reached yet another record high, prompting fears of missing out on any further gains. Even something as simple as a new or bigger stake in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY) would be an easy way to get back in (or get in deeper). Before succumbing to temptation, though, you might want to consider a safer -- and arguably smarter -- alternative. Rather than adding more exposure to the United States' economy, why not take on more international exposure? Not only are foreign stocks currently trading at much cheaper valuations than their U.S. counterparts right now, but they're also performing better. And the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEMKT: IEFA) would be all you need to do it. It's an age-old investing question: Do you really need international stocks when shares of (predominantly) U.S. companies have a history of solid, reliable performance? The answer is still the same, though. Yes, you do. And it's for the same chief reason that's always held: U.S. stocks don't actually have the corner on performance. Between 2002 and 2009, for instance, foreign stocks beat the S&P 500. Blame a relatively weak U.S. dollar, mostly. And following 15 years of dollar-driven leadership from U.S stocks, a weak dollar may finally be the basis for another period of overdue outperformance from foreign tickers. After soaring during and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Dollar Index hasn't made any net gains. Indeed, after peaking early this year, it's fallen back to multiyear lows as the United States economy encounters some self-induced trade turbulence while at the same time is finally coming to a reckoning with all the dollars printed during the coronavirus contagion. In this vein, know that while the U.S. stock market has performed incredibly well since April's low, most other markets have performed even better; the rest of the world seems to be moving on with or without the United States as a key trade partner. That's a big takeaway from a recent podcast interview Morningstar Wealth conducted with its Chief Investment Officer for the Americas, Philip Straehl, anyway. "We do think that some of the forces that have pushed US stocks higher, we're going to see somewhat of a reversal there, and we're going to see a recovery in non-U.S. stocks because some of these temporary factors that have impacted the underperformance will reverse on the other side," Straehl said. Analysts with brokerage firm Charles Schwab agree, by the way. Jeffrey Kleintop and Michelle Gibley noted in a recent news article, "[I]f international outperformance continues, the three-year mark for outperformance of the MSCI EMU Index relative to the S&P 500 Index would be reached this October and could prompt even more flows into international stocks." The duo concluded, "It's likely not too late to add international stocks to portfolios that remain underweight strategic targets, since these relative performance trends can last for years." Perhaps the chief argument for owning iShares Core MSCI EAFE (Europe, Australasia, and Far East) ETF over the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, however, is a far simpler one -- it's just cheaper. As of the latest look, the S&P 500 is priced at 24.5 times its trailing earnings and 23.6 times its forward-looking earnings projections. That's sky-high by historical standards, as is Schwab's calculation of the S&P 500's 10-year average price-to-earnings ratio of nearly 18.4. That's in stark contrast with most foreign stocks. Schwab says the MSCI EAFE's 10-year average P/E stands at only 14.2, while the exchange-traded fund's trailing-12-month price-to-earnings ratio is only slightly higher at 16.7. Do you need to be willing to pay a premium for quality? Maybe some of the time. When the "premium" premise stops working though, it can stop working in a big way. That's when you'll wish you were at least a little more worried about valuation, and a little less worried about latching onto well-loved-but-pricey stocks. Or think about it like this: All of the analysts mentioned above pointed out the valuation disparity between U.S. stocks and foreign ones. As Schwab's Kleintop and Gibley explain, "International stocks are currently valued close to their historical averages, whereas U.S. stocks are currently over-valued relative to history, implying greater price appreciation potential for non-U.S. stocks." Or as Morningstar's Straehl put it, "We do think both developed and emerging-market countries are more attractively valued, and we think that that will benefit performance over the next 10 years." There's not a lot of reading between the lines to be done here. This isn't necessarily a call to shed any position in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust you may already hold, or to dump any individual U.S. stocks you may own. You'll be fine in the long run. Indeed, the strongest and highest caliber of stocks can perform even with a rich valuation ... usually. There's nothing inherently wrong with sticking with a broad-based investment in the United States via an S&P 500 index fund in the meantime, either. Given the current circumstances and backdrop though, adding some international exposure that you might not normally take on makes strategic sense here. If nothing else, stepping into a stake in IEFA just shields some of your portfolio from all of the economic or political drama plaguing the United States right now. By the way, some of the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF's top holdings are Germany's SAP, technology outfit ASML, confectioner Nestlé, and Swiss drugmaker Novartis, just to name a few. You'd be buying into a group of quality foreign names, but names that would otherwise be difficult to individually buy and monitor on your own. Before you buy stock in iShares Trust - iShares Core Msci Eafe ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and iShares Trust - iShares Core Msci Eafe ETF wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $671,477!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,010,880!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025 Charles Schwab is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends ASML. The Motley Fool recommends Charles Schwab and Nestlé and recommends the following options: short June 2025 $85 calls on Charles Schwab. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Best ETF to Buy After the S&P 500's Record Close was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Here's How Saving Just $10 Per Day for 34 Years Can Create a $1 Million Portfolio
A fund such as SPDR S&P 500 ETF can be a good default investing option for all types of investors. By tracking the S&P 500 index, you can confidently grow your portfolio while keeping your risks relatively low over the long haul. 10 stocks we like better than SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust › When you think about investing for the long term and creating a portfolio worth over $1 million, you may think it's too difficult to do or that it might require a lot of money. But if you have many years to go before you retire, then a slow-and-steady approach can work, where your contributions can be more modest. Through the effects of compounding, they can result in a significant portfolio balance later on. If you have 34 investing years to go before you retire, it's possible to create a portfolio worth $1 million by saving just $10 per day and without having to take on significant risks along the way. Here's how you can accomplish that. The S&P 500 index is a collection of the leading 500 companies on U.S. exchanges. It allows you to gain broad exposure to the overall market as it includes stocks from a wide range of sectors and industries. The breadth and depth of the index effectively make it a good gauge of the overall stock market and how it is performing. There are many exchange-traded funds (ETFs) which enable you to mirror and track the index. A popular one is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: SPY). With a low expense ratio of 0.0945%, the fees that the fund charges aren't significant, and they won't prevent you from earning a great return. Historically, the S&P 500 has grown by an average of 10% per year. Mixed in to that are some bad years, but over the long haul, tracking the index has been an effective and easy way for investors to grow their wealth. You don't have to actually invest every day for this strategy to work. Instead, you can pool your daily savings and invest every week or perhaps every month. The goal is to make the process consistent but also not feel like a chore to the point where it may be difficult to keep up with it. If you're setting aside $10 per day to invest in stocks, that's the equivalent of $70 per week. Let's assume that you decide to go with investing that money every week. If the SPY ETF grows by an average of 10% per year, here's how your portfolio balance might look after a period of 30 years. Year 10% Growth Rate 30 $693,942 31 $770,683 32 $855,486 33 $949,199 34 $1,052,759 35 $1,167,198 Calculations and table by author. You can see that by year 34, your balance would grow to more than $1 million under these assumptions. Your actual returns, however, will vary, and that will affect the size of your portfolio. But setting aside just $10 per day can be a way to set yourself up for significant gains in the long run. This is why investing for the long term can make it easy to minimize your risk while enabling you to build up a large portfolio balance. Even if you're not familiar with investing or don't know what to invest in, putting money on a regular basis into an S&P 500 ETF such as SPY can be a good option. It'll grow your portfolio steadily and allow you to benefit from the market's overall growth. Rather than trying to beat the S&P 500 and pick individual stocks like many fund managers struggle to do, you can simply mirror it, and that can set you up for success. Before you buy stock in SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $671,477!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,010,880!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025 David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Here's How Saving Just $10 Per Day for 34 Years Can Create a $1 Million Portfolio was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
