Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

VTI

Market cap $599B

For many investors, buying a basic ETF such as the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is a better bet than picking single stocks. Even Warren Buffett believes this is so.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEARCA:VTI) holds roughly $2.1 trillion in assets and has earned its place in millions of retirement portfolios.

A nurse at a for-profit hospital and a nurse at a non-profit hospital can earn identical salaries and still end up with very different retirement balances.

Tech workers who receive restricted stock units face an income recognition problem that most financial planning frameworks underestimate.

With recession fears ramping up, investing in the right places is key. The two ETFs share many similarities, but there are a few key differences to consider.

With stock prices falling, now could be a smart time to "buy the dip." Broad-market ETFs are more likely to thrive over time, despite short-term volatility.

The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF allows investors to hold a basket of stocks that includes a majority of publicly traded U.S. companies. However, VTI is still market-weighted.

Over the past 10 years, 95% of active managers of large-cap core funds have lagged the S&P 500 after fees. The better option is to invest in an ultra-low-cost broad market ETF and simply try to match the index instead.

Financial advisors usually charge around 1% of portfolio value annually for their services. In many cases, a simple portfolio of a few ultra-cheap ETFs can do the job while saving you the cost.

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF essentially owns all publicly traded U.S. stocks. The ETF is down roughly 6% from its 52-week high, which is also its all-time high.