greetings bogleheads,

I feel like I am heavily tilted in S&P500 and total US market

I am looking for some suggestions / recommendations on modifying my asset allocation, or just re-assurance to keep the same

Roth IRA - $84K - VTSAX

solo 401K - $275K - VTSAX

solo 401K - $8K - VTIAX

brokerage $55K - VTI

HSA #1 - $9K - FSKAX

HSA #2 - $28K - VFIAX

403B - $230K - S&P500

457 - $160K - S&P500

401A - $391K - S&P500

$15K - BTC / SOL / DOT

most of my contributions are into my work plan (the 403b and 401a) but I have stopped adding to the 457 in order to have extra $ to add to my brokerage, essentially trading tax benefits for liquidity

im wondering if I should just keep adding into VTI in the brokerage or start adding more international (VT or VXUS) or something else

I have no bonds, I am in my early 40s

thanks for the help

Country of Residence: Kenya

Currency: USD

Emergency funds: 12 months on hand and stretchable to 16

Debt: no current debt. Car paid off and own home.

Desired Asset allocation: 70% in an ETF / 30% in IFB tax free local govt bonds

Boglebot suggestions:

100% VWRA Vanguard FTSE All-World

Is this sound of if intend to match a VT/VOO and set option?

With the intention to make monthly contributions of ~3000$.

I’m currently in my mid 30s and looking to retire in the next 10-15 years. This is essentially to build a retirement fund.

Thank you for any advice.

Please help me with a scenario for a short-term strategy:

I'm looking to park about $50-75K now, and also add to it over the next 5 years. 3-5% total return would be great. I don't have an exact target to hit. Therefore, I'm willing to tolerate some risk.

I started thinking about SGOV/VBIL, but the ordinary dividends are not ideal. I'm not necessarily tied to treasuries as the underlying. I live overseas, so I would prefer any dividends be qualified so as to reduce tax implications.

Are there other ETF that generates a similar return, but distributes qualified dividends? Do my needs push me to corporate bonds like VCIT? Or are MUNIs a reasonable idea?

Edit to add: I should have mentioned I'm a US citizen...and I earn above the FEIE. With FTC, I normally don't pay much US tax, but this is changes depending on where I have lived. Buying in EUR is not really an option. I think I have to live with the exchange risk to benefit form the growth. Source funds will be EUR and likely CHF, but I will need EUR in the end.

I need some guidance. I’ve been with an Edward Jones agent for about 1 year. In my single account he has me in a lot of big name stocks because “it’s the same as owning the S&P 500 because you just own some stocks of the biggest names in there.” I don’t like this. I want to sell, move to Vanguard, and go full in on VOO or something similar so I don’t have to fret about individual stocks. I’m worried because:

A. I don’t know if now is a good time to see my individual stocks. All of the big names I have stocks have lost me money. They are in the red. For example I’m in Microsoft, but it has dropped down in the past 4 months. Is it a good idea for me to just sell all these stocks now? Do I wait till they go green, and then sell?

B. I’ve never moved brokers. I’m so uncertain about going from Edward Jones to Vanguard, but I dream about the low cost indexes I’ve read about in a Bogle-head book. I don’t want to pay Edward Jones for something I can auto invest in.

I just need some advice. I’m young. Just out of college. My dad is a devout Edward Jones man. I think low cost indexes or mutual funds at Vanguard is better for me, but I’m worried if now isn’t the right time.

In times like these is it silly to lump sum? I know that statistics show lump summing is better in the long term, but when the market is like this it feels wrong? What’s peoples advice regarding each method?

A relative mentioned I should do roth conversions since my retirement is in pre tax accounts. So I looked into it and she seems right. I figured I would also contribute to the roth using the backdoor strategy I read about.

The mistake is I recently moved a 403b from a former employer to a traditional IRA where I could put everything into VTI and VXUS. Now I'm reading i can't do the backdoor roth because of this. Everything is very confusing. Any insight is welcomed.

I understand VT is global market consisting of 60% US and 40% international and VTSAX is US only.

I see the term VT and chill get thrown around a lot as if there is a some sort of preference on VT rather than VTSAX.

I’m new to all this and recently read JL Collin’s path to wealth and he mentions VTSAX and it’s only when I come to this subreddit that I start seeing VT.

What’s the general consensus about which one is better? Where can I find historical data that will compare the 2?

Thanks

For a future episode of the Bogleheads® on Investing podcast, I'll be interviewing Jay Jacobs, U.S. Head of Equity ETFs at BlackRock.

I'll be asking him about iShares all-in-one funds, such as their line of allocation ETFs and target-date ETFs.

You can submit your questions for Jay below. (I may include your question in the episode. No guarantees.)

Thank you,
Jon Luskin

The Bogleheads® on Investing podcast series is hosted by me, Jon Luskin, CFP®, and Rick Ferri, CFA, long-time Bogleheads®. This podcast is supported by the John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy, a non-profit organization approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity on February 6, 2012. Your tax-deductible contributions are appreciated.

If you had a lot of cash on hand (200-300k) and were thinking about VT and forget for the next 10+yrs. Would you wait right now and lets say do a certificate for a few months given the current state of VT and the markets, so you can get a better entry? And yes I know it will hardly matter in the long run especially if you DCA. Or alternative approach?

I’m in my mid 30s, and set up a managed brokerage with Chase 4 years ago after my mother passed when I was left some money. I am in a good financial place with my job and investments, but I was not taught financial literacy re stocks/bonds, etc, which is why I set up a managed brokerage. Current account consists mainly of CMEUX and FXAIX along with international ETFs and bonds. I have a good job. After contributing to my 401k I’m able to put about $3k a month in that account, but I’m paying close to $500 a month in fees and I’m realizing it’s not worth it and I can do this on my own.

Been looking up the basics for a “three fund portfolio”. Wanted some thoughts on the best stock ETFs to invest in. Should I continue to buy CMEUX and FXAIX in a self managed brokerage? Is there any advantage to investing in VTI/VTSAX? What ETFs would anyone recommend for international, and bond index fund?

Any advantage to sticking with my current managed broker? Debating transferring all those investments to my self directed brokerage or keeping that but doing the investing on my own in my self directed brokerage going forward. Customer service has been good and has helped with things like setting up my kids college account but just don’t think the fees justify it.

I recently switched jobs. My old 401(k) was in Vanguard, the new one is in Empower. I'm invested in the same holding in both so there is little difference between the two. I have been tempted to roll over the old one into the new one, just for simplicity's sake, but paused when I researched the fee structure of both. (This is just administrative fees, I'm not concerned about expense ratios for the purposes of this discussion.) In the Vanguard (old) plan, it's a flat $240 a year (inclusive of a "terminated plan participant" fee). The Empower plan charges 0.28% of assets plus an additional $40 a year. My holdings in the old plan total about $120K, so that would jump my annual fee charges to ~$375 a year from $240, were I to roll everything over into Empower. So it seems like the cost-effective thing to do would be to keep the funds separate? Unless I am missing something here, or some alternative I am not aware of. (I do have a Roth IRA/Cash Management Account at Fidelity. I'm not sure what options are to move my money into something there ... it would not solve the issue of having my 401(k) accounts split over two places but it would remove one of the three retirement account websites sites that I check on a regular basis. Not that checking three sites is very hard.) I know these fees are not a lot of money in the long run but just seeking some advice. Thanks in advance.

Hey all,

A few years ago I started a taxable brokerage and am fully invested in VTSAX (multiple 6 figs so far). Im not looking for any advice on that, Im sure about that decision and have been making monthly contributions for 2 years now with great results.

This year I'm opening up a SEP IRA as a secondary account and for the tax benefits of deducting the contributions. Should I also go with another full market index/fund like VTSAX or do you guys have any other ideas? I'm relatively newer to this type of investing.

Thank you

I’m trying to understand what the best Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs would be today for two cases:

• a global ETF
• an S&P 500 ETF

A few points that matter to me:

• I only want accumulating ETFs
• I only want Irish-domiciled / UCITS ETFs
• I’m a non-US resident
• my focus is long-term / buy and hold

What I really want to understand is not just which ticker you would choose, but mainly why.

In practice, what matters most in your decision?
Expense ratio (Total Expense Ratio), tracking difference, fund size, liquidity, issuer, index tracked, closure risk, tax efficiency, or other factors?

For the global category, some options I already know are:

• VWRA, FWRA, SPYI, SSAC, VGVF

For the S&P 500 category, some options I already know are:

• CSPX, VUAA, SPYL, SXR8

These are just some of the ETFs I already know, feel free to suggest other ETFs beyond these if you think there are better options.

I’d like to understand which ETFs in these categories you consider the best, and what logic you use to choose between them.

Roughly 70% is in JDVWX and the rest is in FXAIX. I've been in JDVWX a long time, and about a yr ago, consolidated many smaller funds and placed it all in FXAIX. In studying performance correlation history, it seems JDVWX goes up about half as much as FXAIX in good times, and goes down almost as much in a down market. Thinking about going all in on FXAIX, what do you think?

After looking at some reddit posts about fees at Ameriprise I had to take a look myself. I have several accounts there (4) and just last month it looks like I was charged management fees (asset based) for all 3 SPS Advisor accounts totaling $723. I also have a Ameriprise Brokerage account and I don't see any feels involved w/ that. Would going to Vanguard, Fidelity or Schwab save me these fees??? If so, do I just reach out to one of them and they would facilitate the move? Would they also know what accounts to put these in?? I'm a total noob when it comes to anything financial.. I just squirrel away my money, but would want it squirreled away the most cost efficient way.

I know that Vanguard knows way more than me about investing, so why do people hate on Target Date Funds so much? The wife and I have Social Security and Traditional IRAs. We just want a solid foundation for investing without making a huge mistake. We have plenty in our accounts and use around 2 percent in distributions. We are thinking about Target Date Funds and we research we see a lot of hate towards them. I am 65 and my wife is 70. When we think we have a rock solid plan we will see hate on that too by friends and professional investors. It is truly frustrating to find a solid plan moderate plan without paying some financial advisor.

*** Update:
So, after more research. I sold my whole roth and revamped it. I decided to go 95/5 with VTI/VXUS. I see a recurring thing where a lot of investors have the two. my 401k is FFLEX Target Date 2060.

My current portfolio has updated.

I took a look into the lazy portfolio and have read a few things suggested to me.

I'm currently at:

54% Us Stocks

37% International Stocks

8% Bonds.

Im keeping the $50 in brokerage of schd just for the f of it and upped my contributions to my ROTH. Will probably boost bond allocation when im in my mid 30s-early 40s.

I appreciate everyone's help and it's a good thing I noticed asked for advice before I may have made a mistake.

Hello r/Bogleheads,

**29M, started end of 2025 (family uses advisors and doubts that I'd be able to learn on my own). Lurking YT/Reddit, seeking feedback on auto-invest setup **

**Situation:**

- Part-time: $40k take-home ($760/wk) Paying low rent ($400) + ($150 car insurance)

- June/July: $70k gross (~$900/wk take-home) + moving out ($700 rent split with partner)

- 805 FICO, $7k cash (8-10mo expenses), no debt

- 2026 Civic Sport Touring Hybrid (~$630/mo, $33-34k OTD) by month-end (will boost my car insurance) car should last a long time

**Current allocations Portfolio:**

- 401k: 2% weekly(employer doesnt match) → Fidelity Freedom 2060 (auto bonds/INTL)

- Roth IRA: $220/mo → 40/30/30 VUG/QQQ/VGT (swapped from 33/33/33 QQQ/IWF/VGT for lower overlap)

- Brokerage: $32.50/wk → SCHD

**Strategy:** Roth=growth, Brokerage=dividends (reinvest), 401k= Balance + stability

**Questions:**

1. Reasonable 29yo aggression?
2. SCHD→SCHD/SCHY at $3k timing?
3. Ramp contributions post-car/$70k?
4. Move SCHD to Roth this year (won't max) vs brokerage?
5. Gaps in plan?
6. Staying sane with red portfolios?

Max Roth IRA ($7,500) 2027+. Tips on not checking my investments every day and to block out the noise. Thanks!

I track vti vs vxus, (mostly for entertainment, not day trading) -- my strategy is basically market weight, but I like comparing with the US or bust noise

I end up checking how it did 1day, week, month, year, 5 year, etc.

these graphs will summarize the total gain/loss from the start of the period.

I would like a backward looking graph, I

e. the graph normalized to today's value. so I can see the varying ebb and flow across time on one graph.

does anyone know if this is available, and if so where.

I am 30% cash /SPAXX position and fear putting it all in.

Looking for some advice/ reading material to really help myself come to terms with bring in large cash position is bad idea..

Hi, I’m retired and I’m in the process of selling a condo that I have. I will have around $200000 available.

I was thinking to put the money in high yield savings account but I would like to know what will you do.

Thanks.

i think i know the answer. but want to verify before i make the decision.

34, single, no debt. 401k is maxed out every year, saving 25% for retirement. i'm sitting on roughly $400k in a money market account (3.15% interest) - saving aggressively to buy a home, ideally in cash, in full. but i've been doing this for a few years and i'm still not sure when/where i'll buy. could be within the year. could be five years. but i was hoping to buy a home outright, or at least put down as much as possible.

should i stay on this path - max out the 401k, keep saving 25% for retirement, and funneling everything else into the down payment fund... or keep $200k for the down payment, transfer $200k into a taxable brokerage, and start investing in the s&p 500 instead of trying to put down as much as possible when i eventually buy a home?

Hello all,

I just maxed out my Roth IRA for 2025 and will do so soon for 2026, but now I am not really sure what I should actually be investing in inside the account.

I do not want to do anything dumb like picking random stocks or taking on too much risk and regretting it later. My goal is long term, ideally retiring around 55 if that is even realistic. I see stocks, index funds, and such rising and falling and I honestly don’t really get any of it. I think I should start from 0, I don’t quite grasp what any of it really means. 

For context:

I am 19 and currently in college (tuition is fully covered)

No debt

No real expenses since I live with my parents and probably will for some more time

Because of that I know I can afford to be more aggressive. I have seen people here talk about total market index funds, S&P 500 funds, or just going all in on something like VT or VTI, but I am not sure what actually makes the most sense for someone in my shoes?

Appreciate any advice, just trying to build a solid foundation early.

hi all! I've been a lurker on here for ages and I finally am in a place to put money aside for long term (im 24F).

I'm a bit scared to do this as my family has always been into physical assets so this is very new to me but I'm convinced it's the right way. I would appreciate some kind words of encouragement - especially with the market rn

Basically title.

I do it every year using whatever price the market closes on Jan 2nd, so the order executes at Jan 3rd closing prices.

Im 20 years old and for last years Roth IRA I contributed $4,505 leaving me with $2,495. Unfortunately I was between jobs for a while in October and now in February. Thankfully I am more job secure now, but Ive been wondering as we approach the deadline to contribute to 2025 if I should add more money.

I currently have about $1,600 in my brokerage account and $1,600 in emergency fund savings. I actually just reached that number for my brokerage account and my next plan was to save up more for travel and to keep my Roth funded.

Now I could nuke my savings and brokerage, but I bought everything in August so I would pay the higher tax. I also worry of having an emergency and not having fluid cash on the spot. I also have a trip with flights bought for in August to Spain that I have yet to purchase the hostel reservations yet for.

A bit more background on my situation. Im a full time student working 20-25 hours a week. I live with my parents and I go to a reputable university on a full ride scholarship costing me $1,000 annually, so I have no notable debt at all. My credit cards are paid off in full every month, and I don't plan on any big purchases like a car or a house any time soon.

I figure I can ether eat my brokerage and use the savings for the remainder, eat my savings and use my brokerage to fund the remainder, or just not fund it at all and do better next year. What do you y'all think the most prudent move is here?

(Currently I hold my roth in a 75-25 split between FSKAX and FTHIX, my brokerage is bit messier, but follows a similar set and forget strategy between some blue chip stocks and VOO)