REITs are considered part of the stock allocation of a portfolio, but, since they follow the real estate market, aren't as highly correlated to the overall market. NOTE: Some of the assets in this category are stocks, not ETFs.
Can be used as part of the equity portion of a portfolio since REITs are less correlated with the rest of the equity market. The ETFs are composed of actual REIT stocks and offer diversification across sectors. REIT ETFs are not generally equally weighted across sectors so the other approach would be to buy individual REIT stocks to the weighting you want.
HOLD IN IRA: REIT dividends are generally taxed as ordinary income but they do get special tax treatment in a taxable account under Section 199A.
| Fund | Symbol | Type | Expense Ratio | Market Cap / AUM | Live Price | Index / Benchmark / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Real Estate ETF | VNQ | ETF | 0.13% | $70.8B | $89.50 | MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate Index US broad real estate ETF |
| Schwab U.S. REIT ETF | SCHH | ETF | 0.07% | $10.6B | $21.95 | Dow Jones Equity All REIT Capped Index Excludes mortgage REITs; Lowest expense ratio |
| iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF | IYR | ETF | 0.37% | $4.1B | $94.77 | Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Capped Index US market broad index |
| iShares Global REIT ETF | REET | ETF | 0.14% | $4.6B | $25.64 | FTSE EPRA Nareit Global REITS Net TR Index Global real estate exposure |
| Realty Income Corporation | O | Stock | N/A | $50.5B | $54.13 | Net Lease Retail REIT 13,100+ net lease properties; Monthly dividends |
| American Tower Corp. | AMT | Stock | N/A | $75.6B | $162.20 | Cellular Infrastructure REIT Worldwide wireless communications towers |
| Digital Realty Trust, Inc. | DLR | Stock | N/A | $66.1B | $178.55 | Data Center REIT Global data center infrastructure |
| Gaming and Leisure Properties | GLPI | Stock | N/A | $10.7B | $37.68 | Casino & Hospitality REIT Gaming property real estate |
| Iron Mountain Incorporated | IRM | Stock | N/A | $33.7B | $113.39 | Data & Physical Storage REIT Records management & data centers |
| Lamar Advertising Company | LAMR | Stock | N/A | $14.6B | $144.12 | Outdoor Advertising REIT Billboard & transit advertising REIT |
| Public Storage | PSA | Stock | N/A | $52.9B | $283.81 | Self-Storage REIT Self-storage facility network |
| Ventas, Inc. | VTR | Stock | N/A | $40.8B | $84.01 | Healthcare REIT Senior housing and medical office buildings |