I Lost $4,200 in Index Funds Before Learning This 3-Filter Rule

Lost $4,200 in index funds. Here’s why. 💸

Yep. The ‘safe’ investment everyone swears by.

I thought I was being smart. Threw money into 4 different ETFs because the names sounded cool and the Reddit guys said so.

Turns out I was paying high fees, overlapping holdings, and chasing 1-year hype charts.

Now I run every ETF through 3 filters BEFORE I buy. Saved me thousands.

Here’s the rule 👇

1️⃣ Expense Ratio Under 0.10%
If they’re charging more than 10 cents per $100, skip it. VTI, VOO, SCHB, FZROX all pass. That ‘actively managed’ fund charging 0.75%? It’s silently eating your retirement.

2️⃣ 10-Year Track Record Minimum
Any ETF can look like a rockstar in a bull year. I only buy funds with at least a decade of performance through ups AND downs. No exceptions. No ‘new hot sector’ funds.

3️⃣ Total Market Exposure (Not Niche Bets)
My biggest mistake? Buying 4 ETFs that all held the same top 10 tech stocks. I wasn’t diversified — I was tripled down on Apple. Stick to broad total-market or S&P 500 funds as your CORE.

Bonus filter: Check if your brokerage has commission-free trades. Fidelity, Schwab, and M1 all offer zero-fee ETF investing + signup bonuses for new accounts right now.

The boring portfolio always wins. Stop overcomplicating it.

💾 Save this before your next buy.
💬 Comment ‘ETF’ and I’ll send you my exact 3-fund portfolio.
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Comment ‘ETF’ and I’ll send you my exact 3-fund portfolio.