Are International Markets Worth Investing In for U.S. Investors?

The Motley Fool piece argues that despite U.S. market dominance and the S&P 500’s strong decade-long gains, U.S. investors should consider a small allocation to international equities to diversify valuation and geopolitical risk. The author cites the S&P 500’s 305% total return over the past decade and recommends a 5% portfolio allocation to the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS), noting its 0.05% expense ratio and top holdings (TSMC, Samsung, ASML). The article frames the case as balanced—acknowledging America’s structural strengths while warning stretched U.S. valuations—so the market impact would be modest portfolio rebalancing toward international ETFs rather than a large shift away from U.S. equities.