Is it smart to invest in S&P 500?
For investors who want to get in on the action, the good news is that investing in a fund that tracks the S&P 500 index is an easily accessible strategy. But experts say it also deserves a word of caution: Past performance is not indicative of future returns.
Ever since the S&P 500 index was devised, it has built an impeccable track record of earning positive returns over time. In fact, research shows it's actually harder to lose money with the S&P 500 than it is to make money if you keep a long-term outlook.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in February 2014 would be worth $5,971.20, or a gain of 497.12%, as of February 5, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases. Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 178.17% and gold's return of 55.50% over the same time frame.
The main drawback to the S&P 500 is that the index gives higher weights to companies with more market capitalization. The stock prices for Apple and Microsoft have a much greater influence on the index than a company with a lower market cap.
For now at least, analysts are anticipating S&P 500 earnings growth will continue to accelerate in the first half of 2024. Analysts project S&P 500 earnings will grow 3.9% year-over-year in the first quarter and another 9% in the second quarter.
Assuming an average annual return rate of about 10% (a typical historical average), a $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 could potentially grow to approximately $25,937 over 10 years.
In 1980, had you invested a mere $1,000 in what went on to become the top-performing stock of S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.97%), then you would be sitting on a cool $1.2 million today. That equates to a total return of 120,936%. The stock? None other than Gap (GPS 4.99%).
With our practice the allocation of your portfolio is based on your needs, risk tolerance, tax situation and long-term goals. A portfolio that is just in the S & P 500 can be more volatile than a more broadly diversified portfolio, provide less income and may have negative tax consequences.
For example, if an investment scheme promises an 8% annual compounded rate of return, it will take approximately nine years (72 / 8 = 9) to double the invested money.
For instance, say your investments are earning a 12% average annual return compared to 10% per year. If you're still investing $100 per month, you'd have a total of around $518,000 after 35 years, compared to $325,000 in that time period with a 10% return.
Is S&P 500 too risky?
The key to keeping your money safe
The index itself has a long history of earning positive returns over time and recovering from downturns. While there are never any guarantees when it comes to investing, opting for an S&P 500 index fund or ETF is about as close to guaranteed long-term returns as you can get.
You can still make a lot of money in this bull market, but you'll need the right strategy. The S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.11%) is reaching new highs, as stock prices continue to soar. The index is up by more than 39% from its low point in October 2022, and we're now well into bull market territory.
Placing all of one's assets in an index such as the S&P 500, which is concentrated in large-cap US companies, is a high-risk and volatile strategy. When working with clients, we gauge each individual's capacity for accepting risk.
According to his math, since 1949 S&P 500 investments have doubled ten times, or an average of about seven years each time. In some cases, like 1952 to 1955 or 1995 to 1998, the value of the investment doubled in only three years.
- Find your S&P 500 index fund. It's actually easy to find an S&P 500 index fund, even if you're just starting to invest. ...
- Go to your investing account or open a new one. ...
- Determine how much you can afford to invest. ...
- Buy the index fund.
- 1.Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL): Current Market Price (CMP): ₹185.90; Target: ₹215; Upside Potential: 14 per cent. ...
- 2.Hero Motocorp Limited: CMP: ₹4,818.55; Target: ₹5,020; Upside Potential: 14 per cent.
Here's how a 10.25% return would break down if you invested $5,000 at the beginning of each year over four decades. Data source: Author's calculations. As you can see from the chart, investing $5,000 annually in the S&P 500 would make you a millionaire in a little over 30 years, assuming average 10.25% annual returns.
If you had made monthly contributions over that time, you'd have made much more money. Over the past 20 years, the index has gained a total average annual return of around 10%. If you initially invested $10,000 and added $100 per month, you'd have $136,000 today. Image source: Investor.gov.
| Years Invested | Balance At the End of the Period |
|---|---|
| 10 | $102,422 |
| 20 | $379,684 |
| 30 | $1,130,244 |
| 40 | $3,162,040 |
As you will see, the future value of $40,000 over 30 years can range from $72,454.46 to $104,799,825.75. This is the most commonly used FV formula which calculates the compound interest on the new balance at the end of the period.
Should I invest in S&P 500 every month?
Key Points. The U.S. stock market has created trillions of dollars in wealth. Investing in an S&P 500 index fund is a great way to take advantage of the stock market. Investing $500 a month can make you a millionaire over time.
Does the S&P 500 Pay Dividends? The S&P 500 is an index, so it does not pay dividends; however, there are mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the index, which you can invest in. If the companies in these funds pay dividends, you'll receive yours based on how many shares of the funds you hold.
A different path. Buffett didn't make his fortune by socking away money in an S&P 500 index fund, though. He invested in individual stocks. For anyone seeking to follow this different path to becoming a millionaire, Buffett has also offered sage advice.
Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.
If the S&P 500 outperforms its historical average and generates, say, a 12% annual return, you would reach $1 million in 26 years by investing $500 a month.
