Recommended Investments at Vanguard.com
Vanguard Stock Index Mutual Funds
Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX) = Owns the entire U.S. stock market to include small, mid, and large companies / Expense ratio: .04%.
Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTIAX) = Owns Developed (80% roughly) and Emerging (20% roughly) stocks outside the U.S. / Expense ratio: .11%.
Developed Markets Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTMGX) = Owns Developed (think Canada, Germany, Japan, and England) stocks only outside the the U.S. / Expense ratio: .07%.
Emerging Markets Index Fund Admiral Shares (VEMAX) = Owns Emerging (think China, Brazil, India, and Russia) stocks outside the the U.S. / Expense ratio: .14%.
Real Estate Index Fund Admiral Shares (VGSLX) = Owns stock in commercial real estate (these companies own dozens and dozens of properties) in the U.S. / Expense ratio: .12%.
Small-Cap Value Index Fund Admiral Shares (VSIAX) = Owns stock in small value (this uses the Fama and French research when investing) in the U.S. / Expense ratio: .07%.
Vanguard Bond Index and Managed Mutual Funds
Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX) = Owns high quality intermediate-term maturity U.S. corporate and government bonds / Expense ratio: .05%.
Short-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBIRX) = Owns high quality short-term maturity U.S. corporate and government bonds / Expense ratio: .07%.
Inflation-Protected Securities Fund Admiral Shares (VAIPX) = Owns the highest quality intermediate-term maturity U.S. bonds that will stay up with unexpected inflation / Expense Ratio: .10%.
Intermediate-Term Tax Exempt Fund Admiral Shares (VWIUX) = Owns high quality intermediate-term maturity municipal bonds that are not taxed at the federal level / Expense ratio: .09%.
Vanguard Target Retirement Mutual Funds
There is a long list of target retirement funds that own Vanguard stock and bond index funds at a very low cost ranging from .12% to .15%. Simply select the fund that fits your desired asset allocation (70% stocks vs. 30% bonds and cash for example). As always, factor in other money within your portfolio and the spouses if applicable when making this critical decision.
Minimum investment for Target Date Funds is $1,000.
Minimum investment for Admiral Shares is $3,000 for index funds and $50,000 for managed funds.
The expense ratio on each fund is current as of November 14, 2020.