Overview
- Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is presented as the default core holding because it offers a 0.03% expense ratio and about $1.7 trillion in assets, making broad market exposure cheap and easy to own.
- The Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF (VFMO) has beaten the S&P in four of the past seven years, including 2026 year‑to‑date performance, by using a rules‑based 12‑month momentum model with a six‑month check to pick stocks.
- VFMO differs from VOO in scale and makeup: it holds roughly 670 stocks, is far more U.S. concentrated, and has a median market cap near $16.8 billion compared with VOO's roughly $455.6 billion.
- Those structural differences drive tradeoffs: VFMO recorded about 99.9% turnover in its fiscal year ending Nov. 30, 2025, which raises the chance of taxable capital gains and makes it generally more suitable for IRAs or 401(k) accounts.
- Practical guidance from the coverage is clear: use a low‑cost S&P ETF as a long‑term core and add satellites such as momentum, sector or international ETFs only after weighing higher volatility, concentration risk and tax consequences.