Investing in S&P 500 ETFs is honestly the one money move I don’t completely regret, and trust me, I’ve made plenty of dumb ones. Like, seriously, I’m sitting here in my apartment in Austin on this chilly December morning in 2025, half-empty cold brew on the desk, dog snoring on the couch, and I’m looking at my portfolio finally doing okay because I finally shut up and started investing in S&P 500 ETFs consistently. Took me way too long to get here. I used to chase hot stocks like a total idiot—remember when I YOLO’d into some random EV company in 2021 because Reddit said so? Yeah, that aged like milk. Investing in S&P 500 ETFs https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/equity/sp-500/
Why I Finally Started Investing in S&P 500 ETFs (And Stopped Being a Clown)
Look, I’m not some finance bro. I’m just a regular dude who got tired of watching my savings sit in a checking account earning basically nothing while inflation ate it alive. Back in 2022, after the market tanked and I panicked sold everything (classic me), a buddy basically grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “Bro, just buy VOO and chill.” I ignored him for another year because I thought I was smarter than the market. Spoiler: I wasn’t. https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual/products/239726/ishares-core-sp-500-etf
Eventually I caved. Started small—$200 a month into Vanguard’s S&P 500 ETF (VOO) because the expense ratio is stupid low (like 0.03%, come on). And you know what? It felt boring. Like, embarrassingly boring. No dopamine hits from meme stocks pumping 20% in a day. But now, three years later, that boring choice is up way more than any of my “genius” picks ever were.
The Best S&P 500 ETFs I Actually Use (No Sponsored BS) Investing in S&P 500 ETFs
There’s basically three big ones everyone fights about online, and I’ve owned all of them at some point because I can’t leave well enough alone:
- VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF) – My main squeeze now. Lowest fees, Vanguard’s not-for-profit structure keeps costs down. I moved everything here after Fidelity kept tempting me with fractional shares of random stuff I didn’t need.
- SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) – The OG, super liquid if you’re into options trading (I’m not anymore). Higher expense ratio though—0.09% feels criminal when VOO exists.
- IVV (iShares Core S&P 500 ETF) – Basically tied with VOO. I had some here when I was at Schwab because they pushed it hard.
Pro tip from someone who’s switched brokers three times chasing signup bonuses: Just pick the one with the lowest expense ratio available in your account and stop overthinking it. (Here’s Vanguard’s official comparison if you wanna nerd out: https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/voo) https://www.ssga.com/us/en/intermediary/etfs/spdr-sp-500-etf-trust-spy
My Biggest Mistakes Investing in S&P 500 ETFs (So You Don’t Repeat Them)
- Waiting for “the dip.” Bro, I sat in cash through most of 2023 waiting for a crash that never came. The market climbed like 25% while I timed nothing.
- Selling during the 2022 bear market. I had a tiny position in S&P 500 ETFs back then and panicked out at the bottom because headlines scared me. Lost out on the entire recovery.
- Trying to be cute with “better” versions like leveraged S&P ETFs. Don’t. Just don’t. I got wrecked in 2020 playing with UPRO.
The data backs this up—according to this long-term study from Vanguard, lump-sum investing beats dollar-cost averaging about 68% of the time, but I still DCA because my paycheck isn’t a lump sum, ya know? (Link: https://www.vanguard.com/pdf/ISGLS.pdf)
How I Actually Invest in S&P 500 ETFs Right Now (My Lazy Setup) Investing in S&P 500 ETFs
Every payday, automatic transfer → brokerage → buy VOO. That’s it. No checking the market, no watching CNBC, no doomscrolling finance Twitter (er, X). I turned off all price alerts because they just made me anxious.
If you’re just starting:
- Open a brokerage (I use Fidelity now because their app doesn’t suck and zero commissions).
- Set up automatic investing—most let you buy fractional shares now, so even $50 works.
- Pick your S&P 500 ETF (VOO, SPLG, or IVV—literally doesn’t matter that much).
- Forget about it for 10+ years. Investing in S&P 500 ETFs
The Part Where I Admit Investing in S&P 500 ETFs Still Stresses Me Out Sometimes
Even now, when the market drops 5% in a week, my stomach still knots up. I hate seeing red. But I’ve learned to zoom out—literally, I only check my portfolio quarterly now. And every single time, despite the noise, investing in S&P 500 ETFs has been up over any 10-year period historically. (S&P’s own data if you wanna see the chart: https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/equity/sp-500/#overview)
Anyway, I’m rambling. Point is: I’m not rich yet, but I’m finally on a path that doesn’t rely on me being a genius. And that feels pretty damn good for once. Investing in S&P 500 ETFs https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/voo
If you’re sitting there overcomplicating this like I did for years—just start. Open an account today, throw whatever you can at an S&P 500 ETF, and go touch grass. Future you will thank current you, I promise. Investing in S&P 500 ETFs
What about you? Already investing in S&P 500 ETFs or still chasing the next hot thing? Drop a comment—I actually read them.
