Episode 17: My Story with the NISA Accumulation Category (The Fund Award Survey)

A Place of Stability

The survey for Rakuten Securities' 9th Fund Award. After swaying a bit over the High-Return Category, the next area I turned my gaze to was the NISA Accumulation Category.

To put it plainly, this is the arena that decides "which one is the absolute most popular (number one)" among NISA-eligible funds.

Looking at the nominated funds, what immediately caught my eye were:

eMAXIS Slim U.S. Equity (S&P500)
eMAXIS Slim All Country Equity (All Country)

Lining up alongside them as rival contenders were the S&P500 and All Country options from the Rakuten Plus Series.

"Well, since this is Rakuten Securities, that completely makes sense," was my immediate thought.

S&P500 and All Country

If someone were to ask me which one is objectively better between the S&P500 and All Country, I wouldn't be able to give a definitive answer. You'd have to ask an expert.

The S&P500 focuses strictly on the United States. All Country spans the entire world, though a key characteristic is that its U.S. allocation remains high anyway.

At the end of the day, I believe it simply comes down to personal preference. The heart of the global economy is the United States—it's as simple as that.

Truth be told, I am accumulating both the S&P500 and All Country with the exact same dollar amount.

The fact that there isn't a massive, world-altering difference between first place and second place isn't a bad thing at all.

Rather, it serves as proof that these two have already secured a "place of stability" in the world of long-term recurring investments.

Where I Turned My Eyes Next

However, precisely because it felt so incredibly stable, my attention suddenly drifted in a completely different direction.

What caught my curiosity next were the kinds of funds that inevitably grab your attention for the simple reason that they are "new."

The New Fund Category. There lay a world that demanded high expectations, but simultaneously required a healthy sense of distance.

Takeaway from this Episode

In long-term asset building, choosing an option that "you can personally sustain" is far more critical than chasing popularity rankings or top positions. Both the S&P500 and All Country are highly stable choices that have already been vetted and chosen by countless investors. Rather than obsessing over which one is the single 'correct' answer, continuing your recurring investments in a way that aligns with your own values is what truly builds future growth.