add stock etfs post

Author: benthecoder

posts/211025.md

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+---
+title: 'stock etfs'
+tags: 'invest, finance'
+date: 'Oct 21, 2025'
+---
+
+meals:
+
+- breakfast: acai bowl from grain and berry
+- lunch: flower child mother earth bowl
+- dinner: flower child mother earth bowl and protein shake
+
+
+learned about some popular ETFs:
+
+1. VOO - vanguard s&p 500 etf
+  - holds the 500 biggest US companies
+  (apple, microsoft, amazon, etc.)
+  - "VOO = vanguard + 500"
+  - the core of the US stock market
+  - fee: 0.03%
+2. VTI - vanguard total stock market 
+  etf
+  - holds all publicly traded US stocks
+  (large, mid, small)
+  - "T = total" - the entire US market
+  - slightly more diversified than VOO
+  - fee: 0.03%
+3. VXUS - vanguard total international 
+  stock etf
+  - stocks outside the US (europe, asia,
+  emerging markets)
+  - "X = eX-US"
+  - reduces single-country risk
+  - fee: 0.05%
+4. VUG - vanguard growth etf
+  - US growth stocks, tech-heavy (apple,
+  nvidia, google)
+  - "G = growth" - companies growing fast
+  - higher potential, higher volatility
+  - fee: 0.04%
+5. QQQM - invesco nasdaq-100 etf
+  - the 100 biggest tech-oriented US
+  companies
+  - "QQQM = mini QQQ" (cheaper version of
+  famous QQQ)
+  - no banks, pure innovation/tech
+  - fee: 0.15%
+6. BND - vanguard total bond market etf
+  - government + corporate bonds
+  - "B = bonds"
+  - safer, lower return, steady income
+  - fee: 0.03%
+
+mental model:
+
+- VOO/VTI = engine → consistent
+growth
+- VXUS = diversifier → reduces
+single-country risk
+- VUG/QQQM = booster → adds
+excitement and higher potential
+- BND = shock absorber → cushions
+crashes