All-purpose tech ETF: Is Invesco’s Nasdaq-100 ETF Right For You?

We’ve been in a raging bull market since 2009, with the S&P 500 averaging 16% per year.  But tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 returns are even more impressive — 23% a year.

Warren Buffett is vocal about most people putting their money in an S&P 500 ETF and letting it grow. But we’re no longer in the 90s, and if you haven’t noticed, technology is taking over. Here’s what that means…

The go-to tech investment: The Invesco QQQ ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ) is a fund that tracks ~100 of the largest North American tech companies.

• Big tech companies, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Tesla, Alphabet, Nvidia, Adobe, and Paypal make up 56% of the ETF’s holdings.

What are the pros and cons of investing in QQQ?

• Pros: The Nasdaq-100 has outperformed the S&P 500 since 1995 — with a total return of 3,247% vs. the S&P 500’s 778%.
• Cons: The QQQ is more volatile than S&P 500-based ETFs, due to its focus on the tech sector.

For some, there may not be enough diversification in QQQ — which lacks smaller cap companies or those in traditional sectors (i.e. financials/industrial).

Is this fund right for you? That depends on your risk tolerance and investment time frame. If you’re choosing QQQ because you think the Nasdaq-100 can’t lose, think again:

• When the Dotcom Bubble popped, the Nasdaq-100 fell 76.81% between Mar 2000 and Oct 2002.
• It took the Nasdaq-100 fifteen years to climb back to its pre-pop peak.

Consider this: If the bull market stops tomorrow, do you have 15 years to watch your investments recover?