Investing Basics
Plain-English guides to getting started with investing, index funds, brokerage accounts, risk, and building a portfolio you can stick with.
227 guides in Investing Basics, page 1 of 10
BND vs BNDX: US Bonds, or Hedged International Bonds Alongside Them?
BND (0.03%) owns US dollar bonds; BNDX (0.07%) owns non-dollar bonds hedged back to dollars. 6.3% overlap, SEC yields 5.07% vs 3.83%, 2022: -13.15% vs -12.87%.
How to Become a Millionaire: The Math, the Odds and a Calculator
About 1 in 5 U.S. families has a net worth of $1 million or more, per our analysis of the Fed's 2025 survey, and most get there after 45. Use the millionaire calculator to see when your investing reaches $1 million, and how much a month it takes to get there by a set age.
BND vs FXNAX: The Same Bond Market in Two Wrappers
BND (0.03%) and FXNAX (0.025%) both track the US Aggregate bond market. 71.8% overlap, 5.7 vs 5.76-year duration, near-identical returns. Pick by account.
BND vs SCHD: A Bond Fund and a Dividend Stock Fund Do Different Jobs
BND vs SCHD: 0% overlap, 5.07% vs 3.37% SEC yield (1 Oct 2026), 0.03% vs 0.06%. In 2022 BND fell 13.15% and SCHD 3.23%. What each fund is for.
BND vs SGOV: A Core Bond Fund and a Cash Fund Do Different Jobs
BND (0.03%, 5.7-year duration) fell 13.15% in 2022. SGOV (0.09%, 0.11-year duration) gained 1.58%. SEC yields 5.07% vs 3.70%. What each one is for.
BND vs VGIT: The Whole Bond Market or Just Its Middle Treasuries?
BND and VGIT both cost 0.03%. Every VGIT bond is also in BND (20.8% of BND). SEC yields 5.07% vs 4.91%, duration 5.7 vs 4.9 years, 2022: -13.15% vs -10.67%.
DGRO vs VYM: Dividend Growth or High Dividend Yield?
DGRO (0.08%) screens for dividend growth; VYM (0.04%) for high yield. 62.8% overlap. VYM yields more (2.35% vs 1.95%); DGRO led over 10 years, 13.38% vs 11.61%.
FBGRX vs FXAIX: The Active Fund That Beat the S&P 500, at 48 Times the Fee
FBGRX vs FXAIX from Fidelity's filings: 0.72% vs 0.015%, 53.8% overlap. FBGRX returned 21.25% a year over 10 years to Sept 2026 vs 15.32%, with deeper drops.
FSKAX vs VOO: 88% Overlap, So You Are Really Choosing Total Market or the S&P 500
FSKAX vs VOO from the filings: 0.015% vs 0.03%, 87.8% overlap, 3,185 vs 501 holdings. VOO led by 0.60 points a year over 10 years to Sept 2026.
FSPGX vs SCHG: Two Cheap Growth Index Funds, Two Growth Indexes
FSPGX vs SCHG from the filings: 69.1% overlap, 0.035% vs 0.04% fees, nearly identical records. SCHG led to Dec 2024 (19.73% vs 18.94% a year over 5 years).
FSPSX vs FZILX: FZILX Adds Emerging Markets and Canada, and Charges Nothing
FSPSX vs FZILX from Fidelity's filings: 0.035% vs 0.00%, 55.6% overlap. FZILX adds emerging markets, Korea and Canada; FSPSX is developed-only.
FSPSX vs VXUS: Half of VXUS Is Stocks FSPSX Does Not Own
FSPSX vs VXUS from the filings: 0.035% vs 0.05%, 49.9% overlap, 702 vs 8,674 holdings. Ten-year returns nearly tied: 9.18% vs 9.20% a year.
FXAIX vs IVV: The Same S&P 500, Half the Fee or an ETF
FXAIX vs IVV from the filings: 0.015% vs 0.03% fees, the same 500 stocks, and 14.81% vs 14.78% a year over 10 years to 2025. Which wrapper fits you.
FXAIX vs QQQ: The Whole S&P 500 or the Nasdaq-100's Tech Giants
FXAIX vs QQQ from the filings: 53.8% overlap, 0.015% vs 0.18% fees, and QQQ ahead 20.91% to 15.32% a year over 10 years to Sep 2026, with bigger drops.
FXAIX vs QQQM: The Whole S&P 500 or the Cheaper Nasdaq-100 ETF
FXAIX vs QQQM from the filings: 55.9% overlap, 0.015% vs 0.15% fees, and QQQM ahead 16.40% to 13.78% a year over 5 years to Sep 2026, with bigger drops.
FXAIX vs SCHD: The Whole S&P 500 or a Dividend Screen
FXAIX vs SCHD from the filings: 7.7% overlap, 0.015% vs 0.06% fees, 3.37% SEC yield for SCHD. FXAIX returned 15.36% a year over 10 years to Aug 2026, SCHD 13.17%.
FXAIX vs SPYM (Formerly SPLG): A 0.015% Fund or a 0.02% ETF for the S&P 500
FXAIX vs SPYM, the ETF formerly called SPLG: 0.015% vs 0.02% fees, the same S&P 500 stocks, a $91 share price, and why your broker decides it.
FXAIX vs VT: The S&P 500 Is 55% of VT, and the Other 45% Is the Real Question
FXAIX vs VT from the filings: 0.015% vs 0.06%, 55.1% overlap, VT 62% US. FXAIX led 15.32% to 12.32% a year over 10 years to Sep 30, 2026.
FXAIX vs VTSAX: The S&P 500 or the Whole Market, Fidelity or Vanguard
FXAIX vs VTSAX from the filings: 0.015% vs 0.04% fees, 86.3% overlap, $0 vs $3,000 minimum, and FXAIX ahead 15.32% to 14.69% a year over 10 years to Sep 2026.
FZILX vs FZROX: Not Rivals, the Two Halves of a Zero-Fee Portfolio
FZILX vs FZROX from Fidelity's filings: both 0.00%, 0% overlap. FZROX owns U.S. stocks, FZILX the rest of the world. FZROX led 5 of 7 years from 2019 to 2025.
FZROX vs VOO: 87% the Same Stocks, but Only One Leaves Fidelity With You
FZROX vs VOO from the filings: 0.00% vs 0.03%, 88% overlap, 2,606 vs 501 holdings. VOO led by 0.95 points a year over 5 years. FZROX is Fidelity-only.
FZROX vs VTSAX: 94% the Same Portfolio, So Pick the Fund Family You Will Stay With
FZROX vs VTSAX from the filings: 0.00% vs 0.04%, 94% overlap, $0 vs $3,000 minimum. Returns within 0.25 points a year over 5 years to Sep 30, 2026.
HDV vs SCHD: Two Quality-Screened Dividend Funds That Share Half Their Portfolio
HDV vs SCHD from the filings: 0.08% vs 0.06%, 47.3% overlap, 3.34% vs 3.37% SEC yield. HDV led over 3 and 5 years; SCHD led over 1 and 10 to 30 June 2026.
ITOT vs VOO: 2,460 Stocks or 500, and 88% of ITOT Is the S&P 500
ITOT vs VOO from SEC filings: both 0.03%, 88.1% overlap, 2,460 vs 505 stocks. ITOT's extra 1,931 holdings were 11.7% of the fund. Returns to June 2026.