iShares Core S&P Total US Stock Market ETF

ITOT

Valor de mercado US$ 95,9 bi

The biggest number in the Trump Accounts rollout isn't the $1,000 government contribution. It is the nearly 70 million children now sitting inside a new investment system — one that initially directs contributions into a single State Street ETF.

Checking your brokerage app every morning feels responsible, but Morningstar's research suggests it costs retirees far more than any fee ever could. Three iShares ETFs are specifically engineered to make you stop looking, and that boredom is exactly the point.

The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF promises broader diversification than the S&P 500, but a decade of returns tells a different story about what those extra 3,000 tickers actually deliver to your portfolio.

For advisors, active ETFs raise a simple question: Pay up for a manager who's beating the market, or stick with the index and pocket the savings? In the $15.7 trillion U.S. ETF market, the answer splits investors into two very different camps.

Both ETFs offer identical, industry-leading expense ratios of 0.03%. The iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF manages nearly $100 billion in assets and has a longer operational history than its Schwab counterpart.

ITOT and VTI share an identical 0.03% expense ratio. VTI provides broader diversification, with over 3,500 holdings compared to roughly 2,400 in ITOT.

Trump Accounts are among the newest additions to the savings landscape, and while the name has generated headlines, advisors may find that the greater opportunity lies in how these accounts fit into long-term financial planning.

The new Trump Accounts are a good step in setting up children for a secure retirement, and families should take advantage of the $1,000 in one-time seed money from the U.S. Treasury if they have a child born between 2025 and 2028. These accounts highlight the importance of starting as early as possible with investing, but financial advisors stress that these accounts should complement broader financial planning for under 18-year-old Americans.

Three total market index ETFs dominate the do-it-yourself investor's shortlist for whole-market US equity exposure: Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEARCA:VTI), iShares Core S&P Total U.S.

No matter what side of the aisle your political beliefs and values align with, there is one thing the majority of Americans can agree on: the country finds itself firmly in an affordability crisis. From a lopsided housing market and elevated used car prices to college tuition and higher energy prices fueling inflation, prices for everyday items and wealth-building milestones are near all-time highs.