What is an ETF and how does it work?
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 do pay dividends. These can be paid on a monthly, quarterly or any other schedule the ETF manager chooses. Some ETF dividends are “qualified,” meaning you only pay the lower capital gains tax rate on the income. Otherwise, you'll pay taxes at your ordinary income rate.
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.
ETFs have several advantages for investors considering this vehicle. The 4 most prominent advantages are trading flexibility, portfolio diversification and risk management, lower costs versus like mutual funds, and potential tax benefits.
Sector ETFs: ETFs that track individual industries and sectors such as oil (OIH), energy (XLE), financial services (XLF), real estate investment trusts (IYR), and biotechnology (BBH). Commodity ETFs: These ETFs represent commodity markets, including gold (GLD), silver (SLV), crude oil (USO), and natural gas (UNG).
In order to withdraw from an exchange traded fund, you need to give your online broker or ETF platform an instruction to sell. ETFs offer guaranteed liquidity – you don't have to wait for a buyer or a seller.
Exchange-traded funds have different tax rules, depending on the assets they hold. 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.
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. Receiving an ETF payout can be a taxable event.
An ETF shutting down is not the end of the world. The fund is liquidated and shareholders are paid in cash. It's not fun, though. Often, the ETF will realize capital gains during the liquidation process, which it will pay out to the shareholders of record and that could mean an unnecessary tax burden.
Holding period:
If you hold ETF shares for one year or less, then gain is short-term capital gain. If you hold ETF shares for more than one year, then gain is long-term capital gain.
What are the top 5 ETFs to buy?
| ETF | Assets Under Management | Expense Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) | $70 billion | 0.10% |
| VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) | $16.3 billion | 0.35% |
| Invesco S&P MidCap Momentum ETF (XMMO) | $1.6 billion | 0.34% |
| SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) | $1.8 billion | 0.35% |
- iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSE Arca: DGRO) ...
- Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE Arca: XLI) ...
- Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF ETF Shares (CBOE US: VFQY) ...
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE Arca: VOO) ...
- SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE Arca: SPY) ...
- iShares S&P 100 ETF (NYSE Arca: OEF)
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.
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. Expense ratio: 0.095 percent. That means every $10,000 invested would cost $9.50 annually.
| S&P 500 ETF | 1-yr | 3-yr |
|---|---|---|
| Returns before taxes | 29.83% | 11.42% |
| Returns after taxes on distributions | 29.36% | 11.01% |
| Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares | 17.91% | 8.84% |
| Average Large Blend Fund | ||
| Symbol | Name | Avg Daily Share Volume (3mo) |
|---|---|---|
| SPY | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 73,392,852 |
| IVV | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | 5,884,151 |
| VOO | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | 5,312,745 |
| VTI | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | 3,245,802 |
Interest rate changes are the primary culprit when bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs) lose value. As interest rates rise, the prices of existing bonds fall, which impacts the value of the ETFs holding these assets.
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.
Trading ETFs and stocks
There are no restrictions on how often you can buy and sell stocks or ETFs. You can invest as little as $1 with fractional shares, there is no minimum investment and you can execute trades throughout the day, rather than waiting for the NAV to be calculated at the end of the trading day.
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.
What is better ETF or mutual fund?
The choice comes down to what you value most. If you prefer the flexibility of trading intraday and favor lower expense ratios in most instances, go with ETFs. If you worry about the impact of commissions and spreads, go with mutual funds.
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. Investment funds are a strategic option during a recession because they have built-in diversification, minimizing volatility compared to individual stocks. However, the fees can get expensive for certain types of actively managed funds.
In contrast, the riskiest ETF in the Morningstar database, ProShares Ultra VIX Short-term Futures Fund (UVXY), has a three-year standard deviation of 132.9. The fund, of course, doesn't invest in stocks. It invests in volatility itself, as measured by the so-called Fear Index: The short-term CBOE VIX index.
Nearly all leveraged ETFs come with a prominent warning in their prospectus: they are not designed for long-term holding. The combination of leverage, market volatility, and an unfavorable sequence of returns can lead to disastrous outcomes.
