Investing Port

The SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF (SPTM) tracks the S&P Composite 1500 Index, which offers broad exposure to the U.S. equity market. SPTM invests in more than a thousand different companies across all sectors and sizes, making SPTM an appealing option for investors looking to simplify their portfolios and minimize rebalancing obligations. SPTM can easily serve as the core holding of a long-term portfolio. As with all of State Street’s SPDR “Portfolio” lineup, SPTM competes on price with ultra-low-cost funds like the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI), the Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF (SCHB) and the iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT). All four funds charge the same barely-there management fee. The funds have broadly similar allocations when it comes to sector and market-cap, though investors should note that SPTM leans more heavily on large-cap stocks than the other three. Those seeking more exposure to smaller U.S. companies may want to use SPTM alongside small-cap funds. SPTM is also a relative latecomer to the low-cost market and lags its main rivals in assets, but still offers plenty of liquidity.

State Street launched its ultra-low-cost SPDR Portfolio lineup in October 2017 after years of losing market share to cheaper rivals at BlackRock, Schwab, and Vanguard. This was a humiliating setback since State Street pretty much founded the modern ETF market in 1993 with the launch of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY). State Street was late to the ultra-low-cost space — BlackRock launched its low-cost iShares Core series five years earlier — but has pushed hard to make up ground. Many of its “Portfolio” funds, including SPTM, were renamed and repriced for this purpose. Prior to October 2017, SPTM tracked the Russell 3000 index and traded under the ticker THRK. Prior to January 24, 2020, it tracked the SSgA Total Stock Market Index.