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Strategies & Market Trends : Young and Older Folk Portfolio -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: QTI on SI who wrote (23729)	12/19/2025 6:15:12 PM
From: dan1944	1 Recommendation Recommended By QTI on SI Respond to of 23789

You may want to look at IGM instead of QQQ You may want to look at VYM instead of SCHD dan

To: QTI on SI who wrote (23729)	12/19/2025 9:09:30 PM
From: jritz0	4 Recommendations Recommended By chowder Don01022 Mili21 QTI on SI Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23789

I think I would replace SCHD with DIVO.

To: QTI on SI who wrote (23729)	12/19/2025 10:02:20 PM
From: Das Kapital	Respond to of 23789

It is a reasonable plan. If you are looking for a growth "ballast," I would pick SCHD and add an international dividend ETF (IDV, VYMI, SCHY, or IDVO) instead of DGRO. DGRO has more tech/growth exposure than SCHD. All ex-US dividend ETFs performed exceptionally well in 2025.

To: QTI on SI who wrote (23729)

12/20/2025 8:29:23 AM

From: 389190

5 Recommendations

Recommended By
cemanuel
Mili21
QTI on SI
Smart_Asset
Steve Mac

Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 23789

try QQQM vs QQQ, here is an AI summary Both QQQ and QQQM are ETFs managed by Invesco that track the Nasdaq-100 Index.1 For most retail investors, QQQM is the better choice, but the "original" QQQ still has specific advantages for certain types of trading.

Here is the breakdown of the differences:

1. Expense Ratio (The Cost)

QQQM: 0.15% ($15 a year for every $10,000 invested).2
QQQ: 0.20% ($20 a year for every $10,000 invested).3
Verdict: QQQM is 25% cheaper.4 While 0.05% seems small, it compounds over decades.5

2. Share Price

QQQM: Launched in 2020 as a lower-priced alternative.6 It typically trades at a much lower price per share than QQQ (often around 40-50% of the price).
Verdict: QQQM is more accessible for investors who don't have access to fractional shares or who want to reinvest smaller dividend amounts.

3. Liquidity and Trading Volume

QQQ: One of the most liquid assets in the world. It has massive daily trading volume and razor-thin "bid-ask spreads" (the difference between the buy and sell price).7
QQQM: Plenty of liquidity for the average investor, but significantly less than QQQ.8
Verdict: If you are an active day trader or trade large positions, QQQ is better because you can enter and exit positions instantly with minimal slippage.9

4. Options Market

QQQ: Has a massive, highly active options market with weekly and even daily expirations.10
QQQM: Has a much smaller, less active options market.11
Verdict: If you plan on selling covered calls or buying puts for protection, you should stick with QQQ.

5. Structure (Technical Difference)

QQQ: Structured as a Unit Investment Trust (UIT).12 This is an older legal structure that prevents the fund from reinvesting dividends internally and limits certain lending activities.
QQQM: Structured as a standard ETF. This allows for more flexibility, such as securities lending and reinvesting dividends into the fund's holdings before they are distributed to you.

Summary: Which one should you choose?

If you are...	Recommended	Reason
Long-term "Buy & Hold"	QQQM	Lower fees and lower share price.
Day Trader / Scalper	QQQ	Maximum liquidity and lowest spreads.
Options Trader	QQQ	Better liquidity and more strike prices/dates.
Investing small amounts	QQQM	Lower price per share makes it easier to buy.

Bottom Line: If you just want to put money into the Nasdaq-100 and leave it there for years, QQQM is the objectively superior choice because it is identical to QQQ but cheaper to ow