Index funds, explained with real data

Latest articles

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  Tax-Loss Harvesting With Index Funds: How It Works and the Wash-Sale Trap
  Selling an index fund that’s down before December 31 can cut your tax bill while you stay invested. How tax-loss harvesting works, what the IRS wash-sale rule actually says, and how to swap funds without losing the deduction.
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  Equal-Weight vs Market-Cap Index Funds: Same Companies, Different Fund
  An S&P 500 fund puts 37.9% of your money in ten companies; an equal-weight version puts about 2%. How the two differ in cost, turnover, taxes and returns, and what SEC filings show about the 25 equal-weight index funds you can buy.
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  Small-Cap Index Funds: What They Hold, What They Cost and Whether You Need One
  We counted 134 U.S. small-cap index funds holding about $620 billion, half of it in just three funds. Which index each follows, what they cost, why they trade and lend more than broad funds, and how to tell if you already own small caps.
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  How to Pick Index Funds in Your 401(k)
  Your 401(k) menu may hide a few cheap index funds among expensive options. How to get the full match, find your plan’s fee comparison chart, spot index funds and CITs, and build a simple low-cost mix, with the 2026 limits.
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  Total Stock Market vs S&P 500 Index Funds: How Different Are They?
  A total stock market fund holds about seven times as many companies as an S&P 500 fund, but the largest companies dominate both. What each holds, what they cost, how they’ve performed over 10 years, and how to choose.
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  Target-Date Index Funds: How They Work and What They Cost
  Index-based target-date funds charge a median of 0.09% a year in their cheapest share class; other target-date funds charge 0.39%. How target-date funds work, what SEC filings show about their costs, and how to check yours.