The Smartest S&P 500 ETF to Buy With $1,000 Right Now

Core Insights - The article emphasizes the potential benefits of investing in an S&P 500 equal-weight index fund over traditional cap-weighted index funds, suggesting that this strategy may yield better long-term results [1][10]. Investment Strategy - Index investing has gained popularity due to its simplicity and low fees, with Warren Buffett advocating for low-fee S&P 500 index funds as a smart investment choice [2][3]. - Investors are encouraged to consider the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF, which charges a higher expense ratio of 0.2% compared to the 0.03% of cap-weighted index funds, as it may provide better exposure to smaller companies [11]. Market Dynamics - The S&P 500 is currently dominated by a few large companies, with the top 10 accounting for over 37% of the index's value, while in the equal-weight index, these companies only represent 2% [7]. - The forward P/E ratio for the S&P 500 is over 22, significantly above the historical average, while the equal-weight index has a more reasonable forward P/E of 17.6 [9]. Performance Outlook - Historically, the equal-weight index has outperformed the cap-weighted index, although this trend has not held true in the last decade. However, market reversion suggests that the equal-weight index may outperform again in the long run [10]. - The Invesco fund has not produced capital gains distributions since inception, minimizing tax implications for investors [12].