Funds
RECOMMENDED
FUNDSTHE MONEY 50TOTAL RETURN
FUND(ticker)EXPENSES(AS % OF
ASSETS)
NUMBERPHONE
MONTHONE YEARONE YEARSTHREE^1 (^800 )Building-block funds: For broad exposure to core asset classes
Custom funds: Specialized investments that can tilt your strategy
One-decision funds:If you want stocks and bonds in one portfolioHOW TO USE OUR RECOMMENDED LIST74 MONEY.COM MARCH^2019
FUND(ticker)EXPENSES(AS % OF
ASSETS)
NUMBERPHONE
MONTHONE YEARONE YEARSTHREE^1 (800)TOTAL RETURNStocks Lose
Their Swagger
FROM POLITICAL FIGHTSover tariffs and a border wall
to concerns that the Federal Reserve will aggressively
raise interest rates, choking off further growth, the
stock market hit a wall of worry in the final months
of 2018. Ultimately, the U.S. market—best represented
here by the Schwab Total Stock Market Index Fund—
closed the year down about 5%. It was the market’s
first full calendar-year loss since the financial crisis.
A silver lining: Falling prices made stocks cheaper.
Stocks in the S&P 500 finished 2018 trading at 16.7
times trailing 12-month profits, on average, down from
23.7 times at the start of the year. Perhaps it’s no
wonder, then, that in January investors swooped in,
helping prices partially recover.—IAN SALISBURYBUILDING-BLOCK FUNDS
Large-Cap
Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund(swppx) –9.0% –4.4% 9.2% 0.02 435-4000
Schwab Total Stock Market Index(swtsx) –9.0 –5.3 8.9 0.03 435-4000
Midcap/Small-Cap
Vanguard Mid-Cap Index(vimax) –9.9 –9.2 6.4 0.05 662-7447
Schwab Small Cap Index(swssx) –11.9 –11.0 7.4 0.04 435-4000
Foreign
Fidelity International Index(fspsx) –4.9 –13.5 3.2 0.05 544-8544
Vanguard Total Intl. Stock Index(vtiax) –4.8 –14.4 4.5 0.11 662-7447
Vanguard FTSE A/W ex-U.S. Small(vfsvx) –5.7 –18.5 3.4 0.25 662-7447
Vanguard Emer. Mkts. Stock Index(vemax) –2.9 –14.6 7.8 0.14 662-7447
Specialty
Vanguard REIT Index(vgslx) –7. 9 –6.0 2.3 0.12 662-7447
Bond
Vanguard Total Bond Mkt. Index(vbtlx) 1.8 0.0 2.0 0.05 662-7447
Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index(vbirx) 1.1 1.4 1.3 0.07 662-7447Vanguard Infl.-Prot. Securities(vipsx) 0.5% –1.5% 1.9% 0.20 662-7447
Vanguard Short-Term Infl.-Prot. Sec.(vtapx) 0.2 0.5 1.4 0.06 662-7447
Vanguard Total Intl. Bond Index (vtabx) 1.1 2.9 3.3 0.11 662-7447
CUSTOM
Large-Cap
Dodge & Cox Stock(dodgx) –10.7 –7.1 10.1 0.52 621-3979
Schwab Fund. U.S. Lrg. Co. Index(sflnx) –9.7 –7.3 8.1 0.25 435-4000
Vanguard Value Index(vviax) –9.3 –5.4 9.0 0.05 662-7447
Diamond Hill Large Cap A(dhlax) –10.2 –9.9 7.3 0.96 255-3333^2
Primecap Odyssey Growth(pogrx) –10.3 –4.5 11.0 0.67 729-2307
T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth(trbcx) –8.4 2.0 12.1 0.70 638-5660
Midcap
Vanguard Mid-Cap Value Index(vmvax) –10.7 –12.4 5.7 0.07 662-7447
Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index(vmgmx) –9.1 –5.6 7.1 0.07 662-7447
T. Rowe Price Div. Mid Cap Growth(prdmx) –8.9 –3.1 9.1 0.84 638-5660
Small-Cap
Vanguard Small Cap Value Index(vsiax) –11.4 –12.2 7.0 0.07 662-7447
Schwab Fund. U.S. Sm. Co. Index(sfsnx) –11.7 –12.1 7.0 0.25 435-4000
Vanguard Small Cap Gro. Index(vsgax) –10.7 –5.7 8.4 0.07 662-7447
T. Rowe Price QM Sm.-Cap Gro.(prdsx) –11.5 –6.9 8.2 0.79 638-5660
Specialty
T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth(prdgx) –8.2 –1.1 9.6 0.64 638-5660
Vanguard Int. Div. Appreciation(viaax) –3.9 –11.3 N.A. 0.25 662-7447
Cohen & Steers Realty(csrsx) –7. 6 –4.2 2.7 0.97 437-9912
Vanguard Global ex.-U.S. Real Estate(vgrlx) –2.1 –9.5 5.1 0.14 662-7447
Fidelity Select Nat. Resources(fnarx) –10.7 –24.2 –0.5 0.83 544-8544
Foreign
Oakmark International(oakix) –6.0 –23.4 2.4 0.95 625-6275
Vanguard International Growth(vwigx) –6.9 –12.7 8.3 0.45 662-7447
T. Rowe Price Emer. Mkts. Stock(prmsx) –3.8 –16.2 10.3 1.23 638-5660
Bond
Dodge & Cox Income(dodix) 1.0 –0.3 3.2 0.43 621-3979
Fidelity Total Bond(ftbfx) 1.1 –0.7 3.1 0.45 544-8544
Vanguard Short-Term Inv. Grade(vfstx) 0.7 0.9 1.9 0.20 662-7447
Fidelity Corporate Bond(fcbfx) 1.2 –2.6 3.5 0.45 544-8544
Loomis Sayles Bond(lsbrx) –1.4 –3.1 4.0 0.91 633-3330
Fidelity High Income(sphix) –2.4 –2.4 7.1 0.70 544-8544
Vanguard Intm.-Term Tax-Exempt(vwitx) 1.2 1.3 1.9 0.19 662-7447
Vanguard Limited-Term Tax-Exempt(vmltx) 0.5 1.6 1.1 0.19 662-7447
Templeton Global Bond(tpinx)^3 – 0.9 1.3 3.3 0.96 632-2301
Fidelity New Markets Income(fnmix) 0.8 –7.8 5.2 0.82 544-6666
ONE-DECISION FUNDS
Balanced
Fidelity Balanced(fbalx) –6.0 –4.0 6.2 0.53 544-6666
Fidelity Asset Manager 60%(fsanx) –4.8 –6.6 5.1 0.73 544-6666
Vanguard Wellington(vwelx) –4.9 –3.4 7.1 0.25 662-7447
Target Date
T. Rowe Price Retirement series (STOCK/BOND ALLOCATION)
Example: 2005 Fund (45%/55%)(trrfx) –2.0 –3.3 4.5 0.54 638-5660
Example: 2020 Fund (68%/32%)(trrbx) –3.8 –4.9 5.7 0.61 638-5660
Vanguard Target Retirement series
Example: 2025 Fund (70%/30%)(vttvx) –4.1 –5.2 5.7 0.14 662-7447
Example: 2035 Fund (84%/16%)(vtthx) –5.4 –6.6 6.4 0.14 662-7447NOTES:As of Dec.31, 2018. N.A.: Not available. Load funds are included for those who prefer
to use a broker.^1 Annualized.^2 Phone number is 614.^3 4.25% sales load.
SOURCE:Fund companies’ websites