What are the three most important elements of successful investment? Having some upfront funds to invest is at the top of the list. A good choice for investment is also crucial. I would say the third ingredient is time. The more time you have, the more money you can make.
If you want to put all these ingredients together, I have some ideas for you. These are three funds (ETFs) traded on the Vanguard exchange that can be purchased for $2,000 and held forever.
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In my opinion, the easiest option is Vanguard S&P 500 ETF(nysemkt: voo). As the name implies, the Pioneer ETF attempts to track S&P 500(snpindex: ^gspc).
This performance has been very good in the long run. Since its inception in September 2010, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has an average annual yield of 14.7%. The fund has grown nearly 16% over the past year. VOO-Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | Pioneer
Purchase this Vanguard ETF provides you with share ownership of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States, currently including Nvidia(NASDAQ: NVDA),,,,, Microsoft(NASDAQ: MSFT),,,,, apple(NASDAQ: AAPL),,,,, Amazon(NASDAQ: AMZN)and Meta Platform(Nasdaq: RMB). However, over time, the composition of ETF holdings has changed.
You can also buy some other S&P 500 index ETFs. However, I like that Vanguard has a low annual rate of only 0.03% because it has a lower annual rate.
What is the best performing ETF since the birth of the Pioneer Funding Family? this Pioneer Russell 1000 Growth ETF(Nasdaq: Vong). The average annual rate of return of this ETF is 16.96%. It has risen by about 22.5% over the past 12 months.
The Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF invests in stocks in the Russell 1000 Growth Index. It owns 390 growth stocks, including Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Broadcom(NASDAQ: AVGO).
Most of these names should be familiar, as they are also located in the highest stake in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. This is not surprising. As the market caps for optimal growth stocks increase, they float to the top of the S&P 500.
You will have to pay more to own the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF. Its annual fee rate is 0.07%. However, this is still cheap, and the average expense ratio for similar funds is 0.93%.
My third pick took a different approach. this Vanguard Small Value ETF(nysemkt:vbr) Trying to track the performance of CRSP small hat value index. You may not be surprised that the index focuses on value stocks with relatively small market caps.
Since its inception in January 2004, the average annual rate of return on the Vanguard small-cap ETF is 9.03%. Its annual earnings have increased by only 7.5% over the past 12 months. This is much lower than the earnings of the other two pioneer ETFs on the list. However, I think the Vanguard small-cap ETF may be the bigger winner over the next few decades.
Research has found that long-term small-cap stocks are better than large-cap stocks. Value stocks are also better than growing inventory. This pioneer ETF combines both. It owns 835 shares, not accounting for more than 0.75% of the fund’s total portfolio. More than 58% of the shares of Vanguard Small Stock Value ETF are in the Industrial, Financial and Consumer Discretionary sectors, which do not direct premium valuations owned by the technology sector.
The Pioneer ETF has an annual fee of 0.07%. This is only a fraction of the annual fee rate of 1.1% for similar funds.
Before you buy a Vanguard Small Cap Value ETF, consider the following:
this Motley Fool Stock Advisor The analyst team just confirmed what they think is 10 Best Stocks For investors, buy now…and Vanguard small cap ETF is not one of them. Ten stocks with layoffs could generate monster returns in the coming years.
When to consider Netflix On this list on December 17, 2004…If you invested $1,000 when you suggested, You will have $647,425! *Or when Nvidia This list was listed on April 15, 2005…If you invested $1,000 when you suggested, You will have $1,071,739! *
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Consultant Total average return is 1,056% – The performance on the market is better than the performance of the 500 S&P 500 index. Stock Consultant.
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*Stock Advisor Returns as of September 15, 2025
Keith Speights has positions on Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms and Microsoft. Motley fools in the position and recommends Amazon, Apple, Metaplatform, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Vanguard S&P 500 ETFs. Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: 1 January 2026 Microsoft $395 Phone and 1 January 2026 Short Call $405 Phone on Microsoft. Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
3 Pioneer ETFs, purchased for $2,000, originally published by Motley Fool
