What is an ETF for dummies?
ETFs or "exchange-traded funds" are exactly as the name implies: funds that trade on exchanges, generally tracking a specific index. When you invest in an ETF, you get a bundle of assets you can buy and sell during market hours—potentially lowering your risk and exposure, while helping to diversify your portfolio.
ETFs or "exchange-traded funds" are exactly as the name implies: funds that trade on exchanges, generally tracking a specific index. When you invest in an ETF, you get a bundle of assets you can buy and sell during market hours—potentially lowering your risk and exposure, while helping to diversify your portfolio.
The low investment threshold for most ETFs makes it easy for a beginner to implement a basic asset allocation strategy that matches their investment time horizon and risk tolerance. For example, young investors might be 100% invested in equity ETFs when they are in their 20s.
For instance, some ETFs may come with fees, others might stray from the value of the underlying asset, ETFs are not always optimized for taxes, and of course — like any investment — ETFs also come with risk.
An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, allows investors to buy many stocks or bonds at once. Investors buy shares of ETFs, and the money is used to invest according to a certain objective. For example, if you buy an S&P 500 ETF, your money will be invested in the 500 companies in that index.
An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, is a basket of investments like stocks or bonds. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in lots of securities all at once, and ETFs often have lower fees than other types of funds. ETFs are traded more easily too. But like any financial product, ETFs aren't a one-size-fits-all solution.
Here are a few ways ETFs make money: Expense Ratios: ETFs charge an expense ratio, which is a fee that investors pay for the management and operation of the fund. This fee is typically a small percentage of the total assets under management (AUM) and is deducted from the fund's net asset value (NAV).
Symbol | Name | 5-Year Return |
---|---|---|
RSPN | Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Industrials ETF | 15.71% |
LEAD | Siren DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF | 15.70% |
VOOG | Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF | 15.67% |
IWL | iShares Russell Top 200 ETF | 15.66% |
ETFs can be a great investment for long-term investors and those with shorter-term time horizons. They can be especially valuable to beginning investors. That's because they won't require the time, effort, and experience needed to research individual stocks.
- Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE Arca: XLE) ...
- iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (NYSE Arca: IJR) ...
- Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: SCHD) ...
- Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE Arca: XLF) ...
- iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSE Arca: DGRO) ...
- Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE Arca: XLI)
What happens when an ETF shuts down?
ETFs may close due to lack of investor interest or poor returns. For investors, the easiest way to exit an ETF investment is to sell it on the open market. Liquidation of ETFs is strictly regulated; when an ETF closes, any remaining shareholders will receive a payout based on what they had invested in the ETF.
In fact, 47% of all such funds have closed down, compared with a closure rate of 28% for nonleveraged, noninverse ETFs. "Leveraged and inverse funds generally aren't meant to be held for longer than a day, and some types of leveraged and inverse ETFs tend to lose the majority of their value over time," Emily says.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk. Like a mutual fund or a closed-end fund, ETFs are only an investment vehicle—a wrapper for their underlying investment. So if you buy an S&P 500 ETF and the S&P 500 goes down 50%, nothing about how cheap, tax efficient, or transparent an ETF is will help you.
Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification.
ETFs have a low hurdle to invest
Also, it doesn't take much to construct a balanced portfolio. You can put $500 in a stock ETF and $500 in a bond ETF to achieve a diversified two-asset-class portfolio which, though simple, can be a great start toward building a portfolio appropriate for your goals.
You expose your portfolio to much higher risk with sector ETFs, so you should use them sparingly, but investing 5% to 10% of your total portfolio assets may be appropriate. If you want to be highly conservative, don't use these at all.
What is the Average ETF Return? The average ETF return will vary depending on each fund's strategy and goals. However, broad market ETFs generate an average return between 7-10%. You can invest in ETFs that track specific types of stocks, such as high dividend-paying companies.
One of the ways that investors make money from exchange traded funds (ETFs) is through dividends that are paid to the ETF issuer and then paid on to their investors in proportion to the number of shares each holds.
ETFs and index mutual funds tend to be generally more tax efficient than actively managed funds. And, in general, ETFs tend to be more tax efficient than index mutual funds. You want niche exposure. Specific ETFs focused on particular industries or commodities can give you exposure to market niches.
For most ETFs, selling after less than a year is taxed as a short-term capital gain. ETFs held for longer than a year are taxed as long-term gains. If you sell an ETF, and buy the same (or a substantially similar) ETF after less than 30 days, you may be subject to the wash sale rule.
How do I set up an ETF?
- A prospective ETF manager or sponsor files a plan with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to create an ETF.
- Upon approval, the sponsor forms an agreement with an authorized participant, generally a market maker, specialist, or institutional investor, who will create and redeem ETF shares.
- Open a brokerage account. You'll need a brokerage account to buy and sell securities like ETFs. ...
- Find and compare ETFs with screening tools. Now that you have your brokerage account, it's time to decide what ETFs to buy. ...
- Place the trade. ...
- Sit back and relax.
Symbol | Name | AUM |
---|---|---|
SPY | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | $533,453,000.00 |
IVV | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $439,738,000.00 |
VOO | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | $432,244,000.00 |
VTI | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | $388,015,000.00 |
Symbol | Name | Avg Daily Share Volume (3mo) |
---|---|---|
SQQQ | ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ | 131,663,469 |
SPY | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 75,227,273 |
TQQQ | ProShares UltraPro QQQ | 73,430,531 |
SOXL | Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares | 71,267,344 |
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)
With hundreds of billions in the fund, it's among the most popular ETFs. The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors — another heavyweight in the industry — and it tracks the S&P 500.
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