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Three blockbuster IPOs are launching. Here's when they'll land in your portfolio.

SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are going public and selling billions in stock. Before you chase the buzz, read up on the backstory.

By Josh Shrair

Updated Jun. 15, 2026 |

Three blockbuster IPOs are launching. Here's when they'll land in your portfolio. Jun 15, 2026 5:20:03 PM SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are going public and selling billions in stock. Before you chase the buzz, read up on the backstory. Key takeaways Several high-profile, private companies are going public in 2026, headlined by SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Many major indexes will fast-track these companies for inclusion within weeks of their debuts. The S&P 500, however, requires a year of seasoning and strict profitability criteria. Betterment customers have multiple on-ramps to invest in them via both automated and self-directed investing. IPO excitement can inflate opening prices, which makes it hard to come out ahead. There's a case for letting the market do its stress-testing first. As these mega-cap companies join an already tech-heavy market, diversification across sectors and geographies matters more than ever. The aerospace juggernaut SpaceX smashed records with its recent initial public offering (IPO), turning a slice of the once-private company's trillions in theoretical valuation into real, tradeable stock. It raised plenty of capital—and questions—in the process, so let’s dive in and sort through what it all means for everyday investors like yourself. Wait, what’s an IPO again? An IPO is when a privately-held company goes public, selling ownership in the open market as a way to both raise money and give earlier investors a chance to “exit” and realize a return. A trio of splashy technology IPOs headline this year: not just SpaceX, but two of the biggest brand names in AI: OpenAI and Anthropic. Both are targeting IPOs for later in 2026. Taken altogether, the three could be worth more than $3 trillion, though only a portion of that value will initially come to market. That public stock would still be substantial, so the companies and their underwriters are being deliberate about how many shares they offer upfront. Before we get to how many, however, let's look at the more pressing question: how soon might these newly-public companies show up in your portfolio? Indexes are fast-tracking the trio for inclusion, with one BIG exception Stock indexes are simply lists, or put another way, they’re the ingredient lists that index funds base their allocations on. These index funds can provide a cheaper and easier way to diversify, letting you passively invest with the aim of matching market returns. But the lists themselves aren’t open-sourced. They’re strictly owned and operated, with specific rules for how quickly new businesses on the block can gain entry. Mega-cap companies (those with valuations of $200 billion or more) are testing the limits of those rules. These tech companies could make their way into many notable indexes within weeks, if not days, of going public—including the Russell 1000, with $2 trillion of funds tied to it, and the CRSP US Large Cap Index, with $1.8 trillion indexed. But the mother of all indexes, the S&P 500, isn’t budging. It represents nearly half the value of all the investable stocks in the world, and nearly $12 trillion worth of funds follow its script. And those big institutional investors aren’t keen on passively buying brand new stocks whose valuations haven’t been stress-tested. The S&P 500 has strict profitability rules companies must pass before being eligible for inclusion, rules created after the dot-com bubble, and a 12-month waiting or “seasoning” requirement to boot. So how does all of this translate into your investing? Betterment customers can set their own launch window These IPO darlings will take a while to show up in the S&P 500, but Betterment customers still have several avenues for investing in them sooner rather than later. Most of our expert-built, curated portfolios—Value Tilt, Innovative Tech, Socially Responsible Investing, and Goldman Sachs Smart Beta—utilize index funds that have a higher likelihood of listing these companies within weeks of them going public. Our Core portfolio, on the other hand, primarily gets its U.S. stock exposure through funds that track S&P indexes, so inclusion will come farther down the road. If you self-direct your investing at Betterment, you can buy applicable funds themselves, or in many cases you can buy the companies directly as single stocks shortly after they begin trading. And in the coming weeks, we’ll also be introducing Custom portfolios, which pair the flexibility of self-directed investing with the power of our automation and tax-saving technology. This new investment option will replace our Flexible portfolio and let investors slot those funds or single stocks into their portfolios themselves. All this being said, trading in these freshly-minted equities often comes with heightened volatility and additional risk. The buzz and buildup to their IPOs can drive up their opening prices, making it tough to exceed expectations and net out in the positive. Morningstar, for one, believes SpaceX’s initial offering was overvalued. There's no shame in waiting for these companies to organically work their way into a globally-diversified portfolio. In fact, there's a strong argument for it. By then, you’d be buying at a price the market has had time to test, and you’d own them as part of a portfolio that doesn’t hinge on any single rocket launch. The tech-centric stock market is about to get more techy Diversifying across continents and industries is all the more important given the increasing concentration of the stock market. Technology already accounts for more than 44% of the S&P 500, and the arrival of several mega-cap tech and tech-adjacent IPOs in 2026 could push that share even higher. Fortunately, the full value of these companies won’t be going public. They’ll make a portion of shares available to the public in what’s known as “float,” with the remaining still owned by company insiders, employees, and the angel investors and venture capitalists who helped fund early stages of growth. SpaceX, for example, offered “only” $85.7 billion of shares in its IPO. It’s this public stock that informs how big a slice of indexes they’ll make up, and that number is still sizable. Increased concentration in any single sector, especially one driven by a relatively small number of mega-cap names, can amplify both gains during favorable market conditions and drawdowns during corrections. But that’s why Betterment exists. We’re here to do the heavy lifting of asset allocation, and help you sleep a little more soundly, no matter what starry-eyed headlines these IPOs generate.

Key takeaways

Several high-profile, private companies are going public in 2026, headlined by SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Many major indexes will fast-track these companies for inclusion within weeks of their debuts. The S&P 500, however, requires a year of seasoning and strict profitability criteria.
Betterment customers have multiple on-ramps to invest in them via both automated and self-directed investing.
IPO excitement can inflate opening prices, which makes it hard to come out ahead. There's a case for letting the market do its stress-testing first.
As these mega-cap companies join an already tech-heavy market, diversification across sectors and geographies matters more than ever.

The aerospace juggernaut SpaceX smashed records with its recent initial public offering (IPO), turning a slice of the once-private company's trillions in theoretical valuation into real, tradeable stock. It raised plenty of capital—and questions—in the process, so let’s dive in and sort through what it all means for everyday investors like yourself.

Wait, what’s an IPO again?

An IPO is when a privately-held company goes public, selling ownership in the open market as a way to both raise money and give earlier investors a chance to “exit” and realize a return.

A trio of splashy technology IPOs headline this year: not just SpaceX, but two of the biggest brand names in AI: OpenAI and Anthropic. Both are targeting IPOs for later in 2026.

Taken altogether, the three could be worth more than $3 trillion, though only a portion of that value will initially come to market. That public stock would still be substantial, so the companies and their underwriters are being deliberate about how many shares they offer upfront.

Before we get to how many, however, let's look at the more pressing question: how soon might these newly-public companies show up in your portfolio?

Indexes are fast-tracking the trio for inclusion, with one BIG exception

Stock indexes are simply lists, or put another way, they’re the ingredient lists that index funds base their allocations on. These index funds can provide a cheaper and easier way to diversify, letting you passively invest with the aim of matching market returns.

But the lists themselves aren’t open-sourced. They’re strictly owned and operated, with specific rules for how quickly new businesses on the block can gain entry. Mega-cap companies (those with valuations of $200 billion or more) are testing the limits of those rules. These tech companies could make their way into many notable indexes within weeks, if not days, of going public—including the Russell 1000, with $2 trillion of funds tied to it, and the CRSP US Large Cap Index, with $1.8 trillion indexed.

But the mother of all indexes, the S&P 500, isn’t budging. It represents nearly half the value of all the investable stocks in the world, and nearly $12 trillion worth of funds follow its script. And those big institutional investors aren’t keen on passively buying brand new stocks whose valuations haven’t been stress-tested. The S&P 500 has strict profitability rules companies must pass before being eligible for inclusion, rules created after the dot-com bubble, and a 12-month waiting or “seasoning” requirement to boot.

So how does all of this translate into your investing?

Betterment customers can set their own launch window

These IPO darlings will take a while to show up in the S&P 500, but Betterment customers still have several avenues for investing in them sooner rather than later.

Most of our expert-built, curated portfolios—Value Tilt, Innovative Tech, Socially Responsible Investing, and Goldman Sachs Smart Beta—utilize index funds that have a higher likelihood of listing these companies within weeks of them going public. Our Core portfolio, on the other hand, primarily gets its U.S. stock exposure through funds that track S&P indexes, so inclusion will come farther down the road.

If you self-direct your investing at Betterment, you can buy applicable funds themselves, or in many cases you can buy the companies directly as single stocks shortly after they begin trading.

And in the coming weeks, we’ll also be introducing Custom portfolios, which pair the flexibility of self-directed investing with the power of our automation and tax-saving technology. This new investment option will replace our Flexible portfolio and let investors slot those funds or single stocks into their portfolios themselves.

All this being said, trading in these freshly-minted equities often comes with heightened volatility and additional risk. The buzz and buildup to their IPOs can drive up their opening prices, making it tough to exceed expectations and net out in the positive. Morningstar, for one, believes SpaceX’s initial offering was overvalued.

There's no shame in waiting for these companies to organically work their way into a globally-diversified portfolio. In fact, there's a strong argument for it. By then, you’d be buying at a price the market has had time to test, and you’d own them as part of a portfolio that doesn’t hinge on any single rocket launch.

The tech-centric stock market is about to get more techy

Diversifying across continents and industries is all the more important given the increasing concentration of the stock market. Technology already accounts for more than 44% of the S&P 500, and the arrival of several mega-cap tech and tech-adjacent IPOs in 2026 could push that share even higher.

Fortunately, the full value of these companies won’t be going public. They’ll make a portion of shares available to the public in what’s known as “float,” with the remaining still owned by company insiders, employees, and the angel investors and venture capitalists who helped fund early stages of growth. SpaceX, for example, offered “only” $85.7 billion of shares in its IPO.

It’s this public stock that informs how big a slice of indexes they’ll make up, and that number is still sizable. Increased concentration in any single sector, especially one driven by a relatively small number of mega-cap names, can amplify both gains during favorable market conditions and drawdowns during corrections.

But that’s why Betterment exists. We’re here to do the heavy lifting of asset allocation, and help you sleep a little more soundly, no matter what starry-eyed headlines these IPOs generate.

Blast off now, or float into orbit at your own pace.