Trump Accounts: Here's Which ETFs You Can Invest In

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF

SPYM

SPYM serves as the default investment option for all Trump Account contributions. A default investment simply means that if parents or guardians don't actively select another ETF, contributions are automatically invested in SPYM. That's a big win for the fund, which has already grown to roughly $160 billion in assets under management.

If I had to guess why it was selected, the answer is probably cost. SPYM is the cheapest S&P 500 ETF on the market, charging just a 0.02% expense ratio. On a $10,000 investment, that's only about $2 per year in fees. It also trades at a relatively accessible share price of about $88 as of July 15, 2026, making it easy for new investors to purchase whole shares.

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF

IVV

+0.44%

Investors who prefer another S&P 500 ETF can also choose IVV. It charges a slightly higher 0.03% expense ratio, although the difference is negligible in practice. Where IVV stands out is its enormous size, with approximately $893 billion in assets under management.

The main drawback is its much higher share price of roughly $758. Most investors will likely need to purchase fractional shares, so I suspect SPYM will remain the more popular choice for many families.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

VTI

+0.39%

VTI, along with its mutual fund counterpart VTSAX, was John Bogle's preferred way of "buying the haystack." Instead of limiting investors to the 500 large-cap companies in the S&P 500, VTI tracks the CRSP U.S. Total Market Index, providing exposure to more than 3,500 market-cap-weighted large-, mid-, and small-cap U.S. stocks for a very low 0.03% expense ratio.

Personally, I prefer VTI over a traditional S&P 500 ETF because it provides a more complete representation of the U.S. stock market. That said, long-term performance has historically been very similar since both approaches remain heavily weighted toward the largest companies.

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF

SPTM

+0.43%

The CRSP index tracked by VTI isn't the only way to gain exposure to the entire U.S. equity market. SPTM charges the same 0.03% expense ratio while tracking the S&P Composite 1500 Index.

Although it holds fewer stocks than VTI, roughly 1,500 instead of more than 3,500, the market-cap-weighted methodology means the top holdings, sector allocations, and long-term performance should remain very similar.

iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF

ITOT

+0.39%

Rounding out the lineup is ITOT. Like VTI and SPTM, it charges a 0.03% expense ratio, but it tracks the S&P Total Market Index instead. The portfolio contains just over 2,400 stocks, sitting between VTI and SPTM in terms of breadth.

Again, because the fund is market-cap weighted, investors should expect similar sector exposures, similar top holdings, and broadly comparable long-term returns. Outside of a Trump account, investors may find this ETF useful as a tax-loss harvesting partner.

Which ETFs are Missing?

One omission I found surprising is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

. It's the largest ETF in the United States, with more than $1 trillion in assets under management, charges a highly competitive expense ratio, and has become one of the most popular investment vehicles in the world. I'm sure the Treasury Department and the Trump administration had their reasons for leaving it off the approved list, but it still stands out as a notable exclusion.

One ETF I also would have liked to see included is the BNY Mellon U.S. Large Cap Core Equity ETF

. While it doesn't track one of the major household-name indexes, it does offer broad large-cap U.S. equity exposure with a true 0.00% expense ratio. If the objective is minimizing fee drag over an 18-year investment horizon, it's hard to ignore an ETF that charges no management fee at all.

Please note this article is for information purposes only and does not in any way constitute investment advice. It is essential that you seek advice from a registered financial professional prior to making any investment decision.