What is the best ETF to buy?
Market risk
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.
| Exchange-traded fund (ticker) | Assets under management | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) | $78.2 billion | 0.06% |
| Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF (VFQY) | $324.3 million | 0.13% |
| SPDR Gold MiniShares (GLDM) | $6.8 billion | 0.10% |
| iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY) | $24.8 billion | 0.15% |
| Symbol | Name | 5-Year Return |
|---|---|---|
| QQQ | Invesco QQQ Trust Series I | 18.25% |
| IGM | iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF | 18.06% |
| IWY | iShares Russell Top 200 Growth ETF | 17.93% |
| SCHG | Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | 17.29% |
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO 0.87%) -- Large U.S. companies.
- Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM 0.93%) -- Midsize U.S. companies.
- Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEMKT:VTWO) -- Smaller U.S. companies.
- Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF 1.13%) -- Larger non-U.S. companies.
| Fund (ticker) | YTD performance | Expense ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) | 10.4 percent | 0.03 percent |
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) | 10.4 percent | 0.095 percent |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) | 10.4 percent | 0.03 percent |
| Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) | 8.6 percent | 0.20 percent |
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO 0.87%) ...
- Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM 0.87%) ...
- Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ 0.89%) ...
- iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT 0.96%) ...
- Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP 0.95%)
Market risk
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.
| Symbol | Name | Dividend Yield |
|---|---|---|
| SDIV | Global X SuperDividend ETF | 12.02% |
| QYLD | Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF | 11.98% |
| BTF | Valkyrie Bitcoin and Ether Strategy ETF | 11.92% |
| FTQI | First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF | 11.89% |
- Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (VYMI) ...
- Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD) ...
- WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Fund (DES) ...
- FCF International Quality ETF (TTAI) ...
- Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF (PEY)
Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification.
Should I just put my money in ETF?
If you're looking for an easy solution to investing, ETFs can be an excellent choice. ETFs typically offer a diversified allocation to whatever you're investing in (stocks, bonds or both). You want to beat most investors, even the pros, with little effort.
The majority of individual investors should, however, seek to hold 5 to 10 ETFs that are diverse in terms of asset classes, regions, and other factors. Investors can diversify their investment portfolio across several industries and asset classes while maintaining simplicity by buying 5 to 10 ETFs.
Generally speaking, fewer than 10 ETFs are likely enough to diversify your portfolio, but this will vary depending on your financial goals, ranging from retirement savings to income generation.
Mutual funds and ETFs may hold stocks, bonds, or commodities. Both can track indexes, but ETFs tend to be more cost-effective and liquid since they trade on exchanges like shares of stock. Mutual funds can offer active management and greater regulatory oversight at a higher cost and only allow transactions once daily.
| Symbol | Name | AUM |
|---|---|---|
| SPY | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | $498,848,000.00 |
| IVV | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $432,543,000.00 |
| VOO | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | $422,749,000.00 |
| VTI | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | $372,115,000.00 |
Instead of buying individual ETFs for the US, Europe, China, and emerging markets, you can simplify by purchasing one ETF that covers all these countries.
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.
- 10-year return: 24.37%
- Assets under management: $10.9B.
- Expense ratio: 0.35%
- As of date: November 30, 2023.
Some funds, such as money market funds or certain exchange-traded funds (ETFs), are highly liquid and allow for same-day or next-day withdrawals. On the other hand, certain alternative investment funds or funds with lock-up periods may have limited liquidity, making it difficult to withdraw your money immediately.
Theoretically, for exotic ETFs, yes — but as a practical matter highly unlikely. And for broad market ETFs that track something like the S&P 500 Index the probability of going to zero is, well, about zero. Every stock in the index would have to go to zero.
Can you lose money investing in ETFs?
Leveraged and inverse ETFs are designed for short-term trading and use complex strategies. These ETFs amplify market movements and can lead to substantial losses if they do not perform as expected.
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.
| FUND(TICKER) | EXPENSE RATIO | 10-YEAR RETURN AS OF APRIL 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) | 0.04% | 15.07% |
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) | 0.19% | 15.78% |
| iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF (IVW) | 0.18% | 14.34% |
| Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (SCHG) | 0.04% | 15.95% |
Under the Investment Company Act, private investment funds (e.g. hedge funds) are generally prohibited from acquiring more than 3% of an ETF's shares (the 3% Limit).
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