Do any funds beat the S&P 500?
For large cap stocks, there are funds that have beaten S&P500 consistently for over 40-50 years. Fidelity's Contrafund has beaten the market since inception in the 60s. Fidelity growth company and blue chip growth since the 80s. American century's large cap funds (TWCIX, TWCGX, TWCUX) since 70s.
Fund | 2023 performance (%) | 5yr performance (%) |
---|---|---|
T. Rowe Price US Blue Chip Equity | 49.54 | 81.57 |
MS INVF US Growth | 49.29 | 62.08 |
New Capital US Growth | 48.68 | N/A |
T. Rowe Price US Large Cap Growth Equity Fund | 48.64 | 98.92 |
Research: 89% of fund managers fail to beat the market
According to this report, 88.99% of large-cap US funds have underperformed the S&P500 index over ten years. As a whole, 78–97% of actively managed stock funds failed to beat the indexes they were benchmarked against over ten years.
Yes, you may be able to beat the market, but with investment fees, taxes, and human emotion working against you, you're more likely to do so through luck than skill. If you can merely match the S&P 500, minus a small fee, you'll be doing better than most investors.
S&P 500 Index Versus Nasdaq 100 Performance
Nasdaq 100 has outperformed S&P by a wide margin. The average 10-year return of Nasdaq 100 over these 15 years was around 9%, while that of S&P 500 was about 5%.
S&P Dow Jones Indices' scorecard compares the performance of actively-managed mutual funds to major indices. It found that over the course of one year, 51.08% of actively-managed mutual funds underperformed the S&P 500, and 48.92% of actively-managed funds outperformed the S&P 500.
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. Here's what to look for when choosing a simple investment that can beat the Wall Street pros.
Although it is very difficult, the market can be beaten. Every year, some managers boast better numbers than the market indices. A small fraction even manages to do so over a longer period. Over the horizon of the last 20 years, less than 10% of U.S. actively managed funds have beaten the market.
This Bizarre Fund Is Mostly Invested in 1 Stock—and It's Beating the S&P 500 This Year. Bruce Berkowitz of Fairholme Fund was Morningstar's Manager of the Decade in 2010. Now, many investors haven't heard of him. But 2023 could change that.
So if you're happy with a portfolio that performs comparably to the stock market as a whole, then sticking to S&P 500 ETFs alone isn't a bad idea. However, if you assemble a portfolio of individual stocks that perform better, you might enjoy a 12% or 15% return over time -- or more.
Why not invest everything in the S&P 500?
It might actually lead to unwanted losses. Investors that only invest in the S&P 500 leave themselves exposed to numerous pitfalls: Investing only in the S&P 500 does not provide the broad diversification that minimizes risk. Economic downturns and bear markets can still deliver large losses.
Over its history, the S&P 500 has generated an average annual return of 9%, including re-invested dividends. At that rate, even a middle-class income is enough to become a millionaire over time.
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.
- Nippon India Small Cap Fund. EQUITY Small Cap. ...
- HDFC Small Cap Fund. EQUITY Small Cap. ...
- ICICI Prudential Smallcap Fund. EQUITY Small Cap. ...
- DSP Small Cap Fund. ...
- Nippon India Growth Fund. ...
- Edelweiss Mid Cap Fund. ...
- Kotak Small Cap Fund. ...
- Axis Small Cap Fund.
- Best Index Funds. 3 Yr Returns. 16% - 18%
- Nifty 50. 3 Yr Returns.
- Nifty Next 50. 3 Yr Returns. 17% - 19%
- Nifty Midcap. 3 Yr Returns. 24% - 26%
- Nifty Smallcap. 3 Yr Returns.
- Global/US. 3 Yr Returns.
- Others. 3 Yr Returns. 11% - 13%
What were the top-performing funds? Top of the list by some margin was the JP Morgan Emerging Europe, Middle East & Africa investment trust, with a one-year return of almost 50%. The Amundi Semiconductor ETF comfortably took second place with a one-year return of 43%, well ahead of the iShares Poland ETF at 35%.
Time is your most valuable resource when investing, so getting started early is often more important than investing hundreds of dollars per month. With as little as $100 per month, it's possible to build an investment portfolio worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more while minimizing risk.
Actively Managed Funds Come to Life
But active funds fared well even in the hottest corners of the market. See the full analysis in Morningstar's latest Active/Passive Barometer. Nearly 57% of active U.S. equity funds survived and beat their average index peer over the 12 months through June 2023.
Consider if an investor put their money in the S&P 500. Historically, it has averaged 11.5% returns between 1928 and 2022. In 6.4 years, their money would double, assuming these average returns.
Ken Griffin's Citadel Is an Exception. Hedge funds that seek gains by meshing different strategies have outshown most others in recent years. In 2023, some of these multistrategy funds continued to do well, but it was hard to beat the sizzling returns of benchmarks like the S&P 500.
Why not to use a financial advisor?
Final Thoughts On Why You Don't Need A Financial Advisor
Simply put, they don't offer good value or ROI compared to what they cost. If you really want to unlock financial freedom, doing it yourself is the way to go. And now that you know it's not only possible – but easy – you can get started.
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.
- High-yield savings accounts.
- Certificates of deposit (CDs) and share certificates.
- Money market accounts.
- Treasury securities.
- Series I bonds.
- Municipal bonds.
- Corporate bonds.
- Money market funds.
Focused funds | 5-year-return (%) | Benchmark index (%) |
---|---|---|
360 ONE Focused Equity Fund | 22.21 | 17.61 |
Franklin India Focused Equity Fund | 18.03 | 17.45 |
HDFC Focused 30 Fund | 18.96 | 17.45 |
ICICI Prudential Focused Equity Fund | 19.04 | 17.61 |
If you had invested in Netflix ten years ago, you're probably feeling pretty good about your investment today. According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in February 2014 would be worth $9,138.15, or a gain of 813.81%, as of February 12, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.