For most investors, 2011 was a frustrating year; after some strong early gains seemingly pointed to a continuation of the recovery that took root in 2010, the appearance of some major obstacles sent many major indexes back towards negative territory. The impressive late December rally closed the year on a high note, but there is no doubt room for improvement in 2012 as many attempt to return their portfolios to pre-recession valuations.
The continued innovation and growth in the ETF industry in 2011 has given investors more tools in the toolkit than ever before, and it has made easier to maintain portfolios of all degrees of sophistication using only exchange-traded products. For those looking to take more control over their portfolios in the new year, we highlight ten tips that can enhance your ETF experience and help you get the most out of the robust lineup of exchange-traded products [sign up for a free 7-day trial of ETFdb Pro to get access to more than 30 all-ETF model portfolios]: [click to continue…]
As the calendars prepare to flip forward, it appears as if 2011 will go down as a record-breaking year for the ETF industry on the product development front. More than 300 new ETPs began trading this year, shattering the previous record set in 2010. But despite the record size of the ETF lineup, it appears [...]
Financial advisors and individual investors who have embraced ETFs are generally painted as a cost conscious crowd, passing over expensive active mutual funds in favor of cheap indexing strategies. In general ETFs are considerably cheaper than mutual funds, thanks not only to the indexing strategy but also to the more efficient exchange-traded structure. But not [...]
Schwab was a latecomer to the ETF industry, launching its first products years after companies such as iShares and Vanguard had established themselves as pioneers in the space. But Chuck has been aggressive in playing catch-up, introducing commission-free ETF trading (a move many others have since replicated) and rock bottom expense ratios to attract cost [...]
When running down the benefits of constructing a portfolio with ETFs, most investors will touch on the potential for enhanced tax efficiency, intra-day liquidity, and transparency in holdings. But the biggest benefit, in the minds of those accustomed to using primarily actively-managed mutual funds, are the low expense ratios. Most passively-indexed ETFs charge fees equal [...]
With 2011 just around the corner, tis the season for pledges to better everything from health to wealth to happiness in the coming year. Below, we offer up ten New Years’ Resolutions for ETF investors looking to cut expenses, round out their portfolios, and maximize returns in 2011 [for more ETF insights, sign up for [...]
It may be premature to hit the print button for the death certificate of active management, but changes to the investing landscape over the last several years have forced a reassessment of the value proposition this strategy offers. Research suggesting that active managers fail to add value is, of course, nothing new. Over the last [...]
As ETFs have burst on to the scene in recent years and worked their way into the investing mainstream, the number of products available and complexity of exposure offered has increased significantly. Advisors and investors have taken steps to educate themselves on the ins and outs of ETFs, but many are still scrambling to play [...]
As the ETF industry has expanded at a breakneck pace in recent years, keeping track of all the products out there has become no easy task. There are now well more than 1,000 exchange-traded products included in the ETF Screener, and many of those have hit the market in the last two to three years.
The impressive ETF boom of the last several years has in many ways changed the investing landscape quite dramatically. Although index mutual funds have been around for more than 30 years, the introduction of low-cost ETFs has many investors questioning the merits of pricey active management [see Two Cases Against Active Management]. The introduction of [...]
Although ETFs offer many potential advantages over traditional actively-managed mutual funds, the most commonly-cited benefit is perhaps the easiest to grasp: lower expenses. In order to cover their costs–teams of analysts and pricey analytical tools used in pursuit of alpha–mutual funds typically always charge expense ratios in excess of 1% (and many times north of [...]
