@Rarebear Vanguard is a great company to do business with. Transaction fees are the lowest of all investment companies and they charge no maintenance fees. However the Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund (VFTSX) that you suggest has a very poor track record. In fact it is down -1.01% since its inception in the year 2001.
Vanguard’s S&P 500 has done well. Through all the stock market turmoil it has managed a +10.77% growth since its inception and a +16.3% growth since 2001. Check this out
The S&P 500 at this time include stocks in energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, telecommunication services, and utilities.
Disclaimer: I’ve invested heavily in the S&P 500 since 1991 and have stayed the course through all it’s ups and downs. I have a traditional and Roth IRA’s in Vanguard’s S&P 500 plus another account straight investing in Vanguard’s S&P 500. I’m very pleased with its performance and the honest and ethical treatment by Vanguard.
Good luck running with the bulls!