VIG
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF
stock NYSE ETF

I don't think the amount in the money market can really be judged without knowing what that money is supposed to do.
You have very low expenses today, but you're also graduating soon, so your financial situation could change quite a bit over the next few years. Moving out, relocating for work, buying a car or simply becoming financially independent can create expenses that don't exist while you're living at home.
So I'd separate the $60k by purpose before deciding whether $45k in cash is too much.
\-How much do you realistically need as an emergency fund?
\-How much might you need during the transition from school to full-time work?
\-Is there money you expect to use within the next few years?
\-And how much could genuinely remain invested for 10+ years?
That last portion is where I'd start thinking about long-term portfolio construction.
I'd also ask your advisor to explain the reasoning behind the actual investments, not just the allocation between cash and investments.
For example, SOXX is concentrated in one industry. If VIG was added to "diversify a little bit," I'd want to understand what the intended portfolio structure is and why those particular exposures were chosen.
You should be able to leave the meeting understanding what job each part of the portfolio has, what risks you're taking, what you're paying, and under what circumstances the allocation would change.
At 24, your biggest advantage probably isn't finding the perfect investment this year.
It's having a long time horizon and building a structure you understand well enough to keep contributing to for years.

I am a 24 year old graduate student who is new to investing. I have saved up about $60K from odd jobs and internships throughout high school and college. My dad has a financial advisor with Ameriprise and I met with him a few months ago to set up some accounts. He had me keep about 10K in my savings account, set up a Roth IRA account (SOXX) for 2025 and put the rest in the Money Market. I just met with him again today and he continued to recommend me putting more cash into the Money Market even though I said I don't really have a need for that much liquid cash (now about 45K in the Money Market) since I live at home and don't have any expenses (going to school on scholarship and will be finally graduating in May). We did agree to max out my Roth IRA account again for 2026 (VIG to diversify it a little bit). Am I getting bad advice here on where I should be putting my money? I feel like I am in a unique situation given the fact I have little to no expenses meaning I can save the \~38K I will make this year as a intern. I just don't want to waste years of potential accumulation and am not afraid of a little short term volatility. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

CGDV looking solid. I'll have to do some DD.
https://totalrealreturns.com/s/SCHD,VIG,DGRO,CGDV,CGDG?start=2016-09-16

I don't think the amount in the money market can really be judged without knowing what that money is supposed to do.
You have very low expenses today, but you're also graduating soon, so your financial situation could change quite a bit over the next few years. Moving out, relocating for work, buying a car or simply becoming financially independent can create expenses that don't exist while you're living at home.
So I'd separate the $60k by purpose before deciding whether $45k in cash is too much.
\-How much do you realistically need as an emergency fund?
\-How much might you need during the transition from school to full-time work?
\-Is there money you expect to use within the next few years?
\-And how much could genuinely remain invested for 10+ years?
That last portion is where I'd start thinking about long-term portfolio construction.
I'd also ask your advisor to explain the reasoning behind the actual investments, not just the allocation between cash and investments.
For example, SOXX is concentrated in one industry. If VIG was added to "diversify a little bit," I'd want to understand what the intended portfolio structure is and why those particular exposures were chosen.
You should be able to leave the meeting understanding what job each part of the portfolio has, what risks you're taking, what you're paying, and under what circumstances the allocation would change.
At 24, your biggest advantage probably isn't finding the perfect investment this year.
It's having a long time horizon and building a structure you understand well enough to keep contributing to for years.

I am a 24 year old graduate student who is new to investing. I have saved up about $60K from odd jobs and internships throughout high school and college. My dad has a financial advisor with Ameriprise and I met with him a few months ago to set up some accounts. He had me keep about 10K in my savings account, set up a Roth IRA account (SOXX) for 2025 and put the rest in the Money Market. I just met with him again today and he continued to recommend me putting more cash into the Money Market even though I said I don't really have a need for that much liquid cash (now about 45K in the Money Market) since I live at home and don't have any expenses (going to school on scholarship and will be finally graduating in May). We did agree to max out my Roth IRA account again for 2026 (VIG to diversify it a little bit). Am I getting bad advice here on where I should be putting my money? I feel like I am in a unique situation given the fact I have little to no expenses meaning I can save the \~38K I will make this year as a intern. I just don't want to waste years of potential accumulation and am not afraid of a little short term volatility. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

CGDV looking solid. I'll have to do some DD.
https://totalrealreturns.com/s/SCHD,VIG,DGRO,CGDV,CGDG?start=2016-09-16

Trailing one month total returns comparison of SCHD, DGRO, VIG and CGDV

my boring picks would be PG, JNJ, and WM for stocks, then SCHD, VIG, and XLP for ETFs because apparently my portfolio’s only job now is to survive my bad ideas lol

Do you have more than 100 shares of any of them? You could sell covered calls at the price you have decided to sell. Alternately, turn it into cash and use the proceeds to secure puts as you buy into your next positions.
I've been worried about a market pullback, so have been selling puts at lower strike prices to bring down my costs. I have a video series called "The $1M Portfolio" where I'm using options to reduce costs as I invest in 4 ETFs, VIG, SPY, QQQ and (a little bit of) GLD. You can find it on my profile if you are interested.

Since the **Capital Group Dividend Value ETF (CGDV)** launched on **February 22, 2022**, it has significantly outperformed broader dividend-focused benchmark ETFs.
Below is a detailed breakdown comparing total return CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate with dividends reinvested) since CGDV's inception, along with their Total Expense Ratios (TER).
# CAGR & Expense Ratio (TER) Comparison
*(Performance metrics measured from* ***February 22, 2022 to September 2026****)*
|**Ticker**|**ETF Name**|**Inception Date**|**Total Expense Ratio (TER)**|**CAGR (Since CGDV Inception)**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**CGDV**|Capital Group Dividend Value ETF|Feb 22, 2022|**0.33%**|**\~18.5% – 18.7%**|
|**VIG**|Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF|Apr 27, 2006|**0.04%**|**\~12.2% – 12.5%**|
|**DGRO**|iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF|Jun 10, 2014|**0.08%**|**\~11.8% – 12.2%**|
|**SCHD**|Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF|Oct 20, 2011|**0.06%**|**\~10.8% – 11.2%**|

> So you don't need to sell equity at lows to fund your needs during a downturn, you rely on the income generation. If you had nothing but growth equity, you need to sell them at lows.
Sure, but who cares if you have to sell if the performance is better in the end?
When taking the dividend, you're reducing share price and your holdings regardless. Two identical stocks, one giving dividends versus one not, would be exactly the same if one needed to extract income from either.
The real question is: given an inflation-adjusted income pressure (say $50k/yr), would a dividend portfolio or VTI/VT give you more NW in the end? [This](https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=450734&start=50) thread goes through a scenario like and shows VTI coming out ahead (300k vs 250k with SCHD/VIG).

SCHD vs VIG vs DGRO: Dividend Growth