What is a key benefit of an exchange-traded fund?
Because ETFs generally track market indexes, turnover is usually low, resulting in lower capital gains taxes. ETFs also benefit from the ability to transfer securities in and out of the portfolio in the most tax-efficient manner, known as the in-kind creation and redemption process.
ETFs can offer lower operating costs than traditional open-end funds, flexible trading, greater transparency, and better tax efficiency in taxable accounts.
Exchange-traded funds can be traded during the day, just as the stocks they represent. They are most tax effective, in that they do not have as many distributions. They have much lower transaction costs. They also do not require load charges, management fees, and minimum investment amounts.
ETFs offer easy access to a diversified portfolio of assets. They're traded on stock exchanges throughout the trading day, providing investors with the flexibility to buy or sell shares at market prices. ETFs typically have lower expense ratios compared to mutual funds because they're more passively managed.
Diversification. One ETF can give investors exposure to many stocks from a particular industry, investment category, country, or a broad market index. ETFs can also provide exposure to asset classes other than equities, including bonds, currencies, and commodities. Portfolio diversification reduces an investor's risk.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are SEC-registered investment companies that offer investors a way to pool their money in a fund that invests in stocks, bonds, or other assets. In return, investors receive an interest in the fund.
ETFs offer advantages over stocks in two situations. First, when the return from stocks in the sector has a narrow dispersion around the mean, an ETF might be the best choice. Second, if you are unable to gain an advantage through knowledge of the company, an ETF is your best choice.
An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is something of a cross between an index mutual fund and a stock. It's like a mutual fund but has some key differences you'll want to be sure you understand. Here, you discover how to get some ETFs into your portfolio, how to choose smart ETFs, and how ETFs differ from mutual funds.
They are liquid assets.
Most investment funds offer high liquidity, making them an ideal option for investors who want to be able to access their money at all times. But remember, if you withdraw your money before the recommended time horizon, you could increase the risk of getting back less than you invested.
Popular ETFs
Some ETFs track an index of stocks, thus creating a broad portfolio, while others target specific industries. iShares Russell 2000 (IWM): An ETF that tracks the Russell 2000 small-cap index. Invesco QQQ (QQQ) (“cubes”): An ETF that tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, which typically contains technology stocks.
What is an example of an ETF?
Two of the most popular ETFs include index funds based on the Standard & Poor's 500 index and the Nasdaq 100 index, which contain high-quality businesses listed on American exchanges: Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), with an expense ratio of 0.03 percent. Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), with an expense ratio of 0.20 percent.
ETFs are less risky than individual stocks because they are diversified funds. Their investors also benefit from very low fees. Still, there are unique risks to some ETFs, including a lack of diversification and tax exposure.
ETF trading risk
Spreads can vary over time as well, being small one day and wide the next. What's worse, an ETF's liquidity can be superficial: The ETF may trade one penny wide for the first 100 shares, but to sell 10,000 shares quickly, you might have to pay a quarter spread.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk.
Key Takeaways. ETFs can be safe investments if used correctly, offering diversification and flexibility. Indexed ETFs, tracking specific indexes like the S&P 500, are generally safe and tend to gain value over time. Leveraged ETFs can be used to amplify returns, but they can be riskier due to increased volatility.
Most ETF income is generated by the fund's underlying holdings. Typically, that means dividends from stocks or interest (coupons) from bonds. Dividends: These are a portion of the company's earnings paid out in cash or shares to stockholders on a per-share basis, sometimes to attract investors to buy the stock.
With an exchange fund, investors choose to contribute their concentrated stock to a fund in exchange for ownership of an equally valued diversified portfolio of securities without triggering any current tax consequences. Exchange fund managers pool contributed securities from many investors.
| ETFs | Mutual Funds | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Determined by market | Net asset value (NAV) |
| Tax Efficiency | Usually tax efficient due to less turnover and fewer capital gains | Not as tax efficient due to more turnover and greater capital gains |
| Automatic Investing | Not available | Yes, for investments and withdrawals |
Unlike mutual funds, shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable directly with the ETF. Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV).
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.
How are exchange-traded funds different than stocks?
Passive, or index, ETFs generally track and aim to outperform a benchmark index. They provide access to many companies or investments in one trade, whereas individual stocks provide exposure to a single firm. As such, ETFs remove single-stock risk, or the risk inherent in being exposed to just one company.
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.
With a mutual fund, you buy and sell based on dollars, not market price or shares. And you can specify any dollar amount you want—down to the penny or as a nice round figure, like $3,000. With an ETF, you buy and sell based on market price—and you can only trade full shares.
Some of the advantages of mutual funds include advanced portfolio management, dividend reinvestment, risk reduction, convenience, and fair pricing, while disadvantages include high expense ratios and sales charges, management abuses, tax inefficiency, and poor trade execution.
Though FOFs provide diversification and less exposure to market volatility, these returns may be lessened by investment fees that are typically higher than traditional investment funds. Higher fees come from the compounding of fees on top of fees.
