As of May 2024, the Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund provided the highest one-year return rate. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth Index ranked second having a one-year return rate of 37.4 percent. As of May 2024, the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund was the largest fund owned by Vanguard, with net assets under management worth approximately 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars.
What is the difference between mutual funds and exchange traded funds?
Both mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs) originate from the concept of pooled fund investing, which bundles securities together to offer investors a more diversified portfolio. However, mutual funds and ETFs have some key differences. For instance, ETFs offer more flexible trading as they trade during the day like stocks, while mutual funds only allow transactions at the end of the day. Moreover, ETFs are mostly passively-managed and mirror a designated index. On the other hand, mutual funds are typically actively-managed, as it can be seen by comparing the number of actively and passively-managed mutual funds in the United States.
Vanguard
Founded by John C. Bogle in 1975, Vanguard is a U.S. asset management company that offers both mutual funds and ETFs. Headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Vanguard was the second largest provider of ETFs in the United States after BlackRock Financial Management, with assets under management worth almost 2.2 trillion U.S. dollars. Likewise, in 2024, Vanguard ranked among the largest providers of mutual funds worldwide. The total assets under management of Vanguard increased considerably since its foundation in 1975, and peaked at 8.6 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024.
