The rise of active ETFs: Four reasons to consider active ETFs (2024)

Check the background of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC on FINRA's BrokerCheckand see
the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC RelationshipSummary.

Investment Products • Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value

PLEASE READ THE IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES BELOW.

Banking products and services are provided by Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association, Member FDIC.

An Exchange-Traded Fund’s (“ETF”) prospectus contains its investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information, and should be read and carefully considered before investing. For a current prospectus, visit the Exchange-Traded Funds Center at www.etrade.com/etf.

Consolidation is not right for everyone, so you should carefully consider your options. Before deciding whether to retain assets in a retirement plan account through a former employer, roll them over to a qualified retirement plan account through a new employer (if one is available and rollovers are permitted), or roll them over to an IRA, an investor should consider all his or her options and the various factors including, but not limited to, the differences in investment options, fees and expenses, services, the exceptions to the early withdrawal penalties, protection from creditors and legal judgments, required minimum distributions, the tax treatment of employer stock (if held in the qualified retirement plan account), and the availability of plan loans (i.e., loans are not permitted from IRAs, and the availability of loans from a qualified retirement plan will depend on the terms of the plan). For additional information, view the FINRA Website.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are subject to risks similar to those of other diversified portfolios and investments. Although ETFs are generally designed to provide investment results that generally correspond to the performance of their respective underlying indexes, they may not be able to exactly replicate the performance of the indexes because of expenses and other factors. There may also be brokerage commissions associated with trading ETFs that may negate their low management fees. ETFs are required to distribute their portfolio gains to shareholders at year-end. These gains may be generated by portfolio rebalancing or the need to meet diversification requirements. ETF trading will also generate tax consequences.

Actively-managed ETFs are not guaranteed to accomplish their investment objectives and can lose money.

Smart beta, or strategic beta, funds are exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with components that may be actively managed. Smart beta funds are not a passive market-capitalization index strategy or an alternative to active management. Smart beta funds may have increased fees and expenses compared with passive market-cap index strategy ETFs, may underperform cap-weighted benchmarks, and may be subject to increased portfolio risk.

Investing in securities involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

Asset allocation and diversification do not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.

The investments listed may not be appropriate for all investors. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment will depend upon an investor's individual circ*mstances and objectives.

Before buying or selling any investment, you should carefully consider your individual financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs, and consult licensed financial and tax professionals to determine for yourself whether the investment is appropriate for you.

Morgan Stanley and its affiliates do not provide tax advice, and you always should consult your own tax advisor regarding your personal circ*mstances before taking any action that may have tax consequences.

Unless stated otherwise, the web content provided by E*TRADE is for educational purposes only. The information and tools provided neither are, nor should be construed as, an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, or a recommendation, to buy or sell securities or other instruments by E*TRADE. Unless stated otherwise, no information presented constitutes a recommendation by E*TRADE to buy, sell, or hold any security, financial product, or instrument discussed therein, or to open a particular account or to engage in any specific investment strategy. This information neither is, nor should be construed, as an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, or a recommendation, to buy, sell, or hold any security, financial product or instrument or to open a particular account or engage in any specific investment strategy.

The material provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC or any of its affiliates (Morgan Stanley) or by a third party not affiliated with Morgan Stanley is for educational purposes only and is not an individualized recommendation. Morgan Stanley does not guarantee the accuracy of the third-party content. The guest speaker is an independent contractor, and is not an employee of Morgan Stanley. Opinions expressed by the guest speaker are solely his or her own and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. This information neither is, nor should be construed, as an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, or a recommendation, to buy, sell or hold any security, financial product or instrument discussed therein, or to open a particular account or engage in any specific investment strategy by Morgan Stanley.

    Securities products and investment advisory services offered by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Member SIPC and a Registered Investment Adviser. Commodity futures and options on futures products and services offered by E*TRADE Futures LLC, Member NFA Stock plan administration solutions and services offered by E*TRADE Financial Corporate Services, Inc., and are a part of Morgan Stanley at Work. Banking products and services provided by Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association, Member FDIC. All entities are separate but affiliated subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley. E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley at Work are registered trademarks of Morgan Stanley.

    System response and account access times may vary due to a variety of factors, including trading volumes, market conditions, system performance, and other factors.

    Statement of Financial Condition | About Asset Protection | Account Agreements and Disclosures | Quarterly 606 Report | Business Resiliency Plan

    ©currentYear E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley. All rights reserved. E*TRADE Copyright Policy

    The rise of active ETFs: Four reasons to consider active ETFs (2024)

    FAQs

    The rise of active ETFs: Four reasons to consider active ETFs? ›

    For those investors still on the fence about using them, active ETFs liquidity, low costs and tax savings are wonderful benefits that mutual funds can not touch. With the potential for outperformance, investors should make the switch to active ETFs in their portfolios.

    What are the 4 benefits of ETFs? ›

    ETFs can offer lower operating costs than traditional open-end funds, flexible trading, greater transparency, and better tax efficiency in taxable accounts.

    Why are active ETFs growing? ›

    The rapid growth of active ETFs can be attributed to several factors: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission passed the “ETF Rule” in 2019, streamlining the ETF listing process and giving portfolio managers more flexibility when creating and redeeming ETF shares; investors and their advisors have increasingly ...

    What is the point of an active ETF? ›

    Flexibility. Like index ETFs, actively managed ETFs allow investors to trade throughout the day, including short sales and buying on margin. This can also enable greater liquidity for ETFs relative to funds that do not trade throughout the day.

    What causes ETFs to rise? ›

    Increased demand for the ETF's shares should raise its price, and any sales of the underlying securities should lower their prices, narrowing the gap between the ETF and its underlying value.

    What is the biggest advantage of an ETF over other funds? ›

    ETFs offer easy access to a diversified portfolio of assets. They're traded on stock exchanges throughout the trading day, providing you with the flexibility to buy or sell shares at market prices. ETFs typically have lower expense ratios than mutual funds because more of them are passively managed.

    What is the biggest risk in ETFs? ›

    The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk.

    What are the strategies of active ETF? ›

    Active ETFs can implement specific investment strategies, such as value investing, growth investing, sector rotation or risk management, based on the fund's objectives and the manager's expertise.

    Why are active ETFs more tax-efficient? ›

    Historically, ETFs have been a more tax-efficient vehicle than some other investment structures, such as mutual funds. The main reason ETFs have been more tax-efficient is due to the ETFs' unique create/redeem mechanism and the ability for ETFs to facilitate outflows in kind.

    Why are active funds better? ›

    While active funds strive to outperform the market through skilled management and decision-making, passive funds offer a simpler, more consistent approach by tracking market indices. Ultimately, the choice between active and passive funds depends on individual preferences and objectives.

    Why are ETFs so popular now? ›

    Key Takeaways. Actively managed ETFs are rising in popularity, offering investors targeted exposure and tax efficient benefits in a volatile market. In addition to tax efficiency, investors are seeking active management in certain asset classes and strategies, such as fixed income and thematic investing.

    How to know if an ETF is good? ›

    Before purchasing an ETF there are five factors to take into account 1) performance of the ETF 2) the underlying index of the ETF 3) the ETF's structure 4) when and how to trade the ETF and 5) the total cost of the ETF.

    What are ETFs pros and cons? ›

    In addition, ETFs tend to have much lower expense ratios compared to actively managed funds, can be more tax-efficient, and offer the option to immediately reinvest dividends. Still, unique risks can arise from holding ETFs as well as tax considerations, depending on the type of ETF.

    Which of the following is a benefit of an ETF? ›

    Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are a popular portfolio tool, thanks in part to their trading flexibility, low costs, and tax efficiency. Plus, they can help investors diversify with broad or targeted exposures.

    Why buy ETFs instead of stocks? ›

    Because of their wide array of holdings, ETFs provide the benefits of diversification, including lower risk and less volatility, which often makes a fund safer to own than an individual stock. An ETF's return depends on what it's invested in. An ETF's return is the weighted average of all its holdings.

    What is the primary disadvantage of an ETF? ›

    Buying high and selling low

    At any given time, the spread on an ETF may be high, and the market price of shares may not correspond to the intraday value of the underlying securities. Those are not good times to transact business.

    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Article information

    Author: Lakeisha Bayer VM

    Last Updated:

    Views: 5507

    Rating: 4.9 / 5 (69 voted)

    Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Lakeisha Bayer VM

    Birthday: 1997-10-17

    Address: Suite 835 34136 Adrian Mountains, Floydton, UT 81036

    Phone: +3571527672278

    Job: Manufacturing Agent

    Hobby: Skimboarding, Photography, Roller skating, Knife making, Paintball, Embroidery, Gunsmithing

    Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.