3 Vanguard ETFs That Can Turn $1,000 per Month Into Over $1 Million

Vanguard offers some of the best exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the industry. Low fees and solid long-term returns are two common traits among its funds.

You can look for ETFs that offer low volatility and high yields, but investors who want to maximize their potential returns may want to consider these three Vanguard options. In my view, they offer you the best shot at turning contributions of $1,000 per month into a $1 million portfolio over the long term without having to stay on top of the stock market and financial news every day.

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Vanguard Growth Index Fund

The Vanguard Growth Index Fund (NYSEMKT: VUG) has an expense ratio of just 0.03%, and it gives investors exposure to more than 150 holdings. The ETF focuses on large-cap growth companies, with the "Magnificent Seven" well represented in its portfolio.

Although this fund isn't explicitly a tech ETF, more than half of its total assets are in that sector. It's also top-heavy, with almost two-thirds of its total assets in its top 10 holdings. However, that's also the nature of popular benchmarks like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite since companies with higher market caps provide larger slices of their total values.

The Vanguard Growth Index Fund has produced annualized returns of 17.6% over the past decade. Investors will have to monitor how the artificial intelligence industry is faring to gauge if the VUG will continue to deliver similarly exceptional returns. Chipmaker Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is its largest position, and the four largest hyperscalers, which are still ramping up their capital expenditures, are in the top 10.

Some Magnificent Seven stocks have taken a beating over the past year despite their strengthening fundamentals, and if more investors start acting to take advantage of that mismatch, VUG shares could rally. They are only up by 3.5% year to date, which is an unusually slow start for this ETF.

If you started with $0 and invested $1,000 per month into this fund, and if it maintained the compound annual growth rate of 17.6% it delivered over the past decade, your holdings in it would be worth $1 million in 17 years.

Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund

The Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund (NYSEMKT: VGT) has a 0.09% expense ratio and focuses on tech stocks. Large-cap stocks dominate the portfolio, but there are a bunch of mid-cap and small-cap stocks included.

While the VUG ETF happens to be a tech fund, the VGT fully commits to the sector, with 98.5% of total assets allocated to it currently. And the Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund has solidly outperformed the VUG over the past decade with an annualized return of 25.1%.

The Magnificent Seven stocks are well represented here, too, but seven of the Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund's top 10 holdings don't come from that group. Notably, Micron Technology, Intel, and Lam Research all show up in the VGT's top 10 holdings, but are further down the list for the VUG.

Furthermore, the VGT doesn't contain non-tech stocks like Costco or McDonald's, both of which are included in the VUG. Investors who want a tech-heavy fund that has a history of long-term outperformance should give the Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund a closer look, but those who put money into it should be comfortable with volatility.

Assuming it maintained its average annualized returns of 25.1%, consistent monthly investments of $1,000 into this fund would produce a $1 million holding in 14 years.

Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF

The Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF (NYSEMKT: VFMO), which launched in 2018, has a 0.13% expense ratio and focuses on a rules-based quantitative model to identify U.S. stocks that have had strong recent performances.

Its nearly 100% turnover rate is much higher than the turnover rates for the VUG and the VGT, which are 12% and 8%, respectively. A 100% turnover rate means a fund's managers have replaced all of its holdings within the past year. That means you shouldn't get too attached to any of the specific stocks that are currently in the Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF's portfolio.

While the fund doesn't embody the buy-and-hold investing style of the VUG or the VGT, it is far more diversified. Its top 10 holdings only make up 10% of the portfolio's value. It also has an annualized return of 14.3% over the past five years. That rate of return beat the VUG's 12.4% annualized return over that time frame, but was not as strong as the VGT's 19.1% annualized return.

Investors will have a better idea of what they are getting with the VGT and the VUG. Those portfolios are relatively stable. The VFMO is less predictable since it adjusts its holdings quarterly based on what stocks have delivered strong recent momentum. Which stocks meet its criteria may change, but the fund's managers have done a good job with the VFMO for several years.

If the Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF maintains an average return of 14.3% over the long haul, with steady investments of $1,000 a month, your stake in the fund would grow to $1 million in barely over 19 years.

Marc Guberti has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale, Intel, Lam Research, Micron Technology, Nvidia, and Vanguard Growth ETF. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2028 $320 calls on McDonald's and short January 2028 $340 calls on McDonald's. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.