What do you think? Do you think you should have international stocks in your portfolio? If so, what percentage should you own? Whatever you decide, go with that. Don't worry too much about whether you can afford admiral shares this year. It's okay to buy investor shares for now and upgrade to admiral shares when you can afford them. If your investor shares have a 0.1% higher expense ratio than the admiral shares, you'll pay an extra $10 this year on your $10k investment. Isn't diversification worth $10?