No matter where the market is headed, this ETF can help protect your portfolio. As we head into 2026, many investors are having mixed feelings about the stock market. While 37% of U.S. investors feel optimistic about the next six months, according to the most recent weekly survey from the American Association of Individual Investors, around 35% feel pessimistic. Regardless of where you believe the...
No matter where the market is headed, this ETF can help protect your portfolio. As we head into 2026, many investors are having mixed feelings about the stock market. While 37% of U.S. investors feel optimistic about the next six months, according to the most recent weekly survey from the American Association of Individual Investors, around 35% feel pessimistic. Regardless of where you believe the market is headed next year, continuing to invest consistently is one of the most effective ways to build long-term wealth. Even if stocks take a turn for the worse in 2026, staying in the market for many years can reduce the impact of any short-term volatility. The right investment is key to surviving market downturns, however. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a fantastic option for many people, and there's one Vanguard ETF I personally own and highly recommend heading into the new year. How to generate wealth while reducing risk Nobody knows where the market will be in the next six or 12 months. Stocks could continue surging, or we may be inching closer to the next recession. No matter what happens, though, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI +0.26%) can help protect your portfolio. The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF is a broad fund encompassing the entire U.S. stock market. It contains 3,527 stocks, ranging from small-cap to megacap and everything in between. Covering all sectors of the market, it's as diversified as you can get when investing in equities. Advertisement Because it aims to follow the performance of the market as a whole, this ETF is incredibly likely to survive periods of volatility. The market itself has survived every downturn it's ever faced, and there's a very good chance that trend will continue. In fact, not only has the market pulled through recessions and crashes, but it's also thrived over time. Since its inception in 2001, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has experienced significant short-term volatility -- from the dot-com bubble burst...
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) is one of the world's most recognizable brands. It has long led the soft drink market, thanks to its global reach and broad range of products. But that hasn't necessarily been beneficial to investors in recent times. In the past five years, Coca-Cola has generated a total return of just 47%. The S&P 500, on the other hand, would've more than doubled your initial capital during...
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) is one of the world's most recognizable brands. It has long led the soft drink market, thanks to its global reach and broad range of products. But that hasn't necessarily been beneficial to investors in recent times. In the past five years, Coca-Cola has generated a total return of just 47%. The S&P 500, on the other hand, would've more than doubled your initial capital during the same period. Shareholders are wondering if better days are ahead for the drink giant. Where will this dominant beverage stock be in five years? Nowhere to grow Investors need to realize that Coca-Cola is not going to report huge growth numbers. It's the opposite situation, actually. Revenue totaled $12.4 billion in the latest quarter (the fiscal second quarter of 2024, ended June 28), which represented a modest 24% increase compared to five years ago in Q2 2019. Compared to rapidly expanding areas of the economy, Coca-Cola is a dinosaur. For what it's worth, though, the business has taken market share over the years. According to Wall Street consensus analyst estimates, Coca-Cola is projected to increase its revenue at a compound annual rate of 3.6% between 2023 and 2026. That's certainly nothing to write home about. But Coca-Cola uses a different strategy to move the needle to offset weaker unit volume growth. In the latest quarter, for example, prices for the company's various products were 4% higher than in the year-ago period (excluding markets that have very high levels of inflation). There's proven pricing power here. Safe and stable For investors who simply want peace of mind from the individual stocks they buy, there might be no better company to own than Coca-Cola. I mentioned earlier that it possesses one of the most powerful brands. This intangible asset is what protects the company's competitive position. And it has helped Coca-Cola remain relevant in the minds of consumers for such a long time. Besides its brand strength, Coca-Cola is a safe business to bu...