Are ETFs really better than mutual funds?
Both can offer comprehensive exposure at minimal costs, and can be good tools for investors. 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.
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.
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.
In a nutshell, ETFs have fewer "taxable events" than mutual funds—which can make them more tax efficient.
While these securities track a given index, using debt without shareholder equity makes leveraged and inverse ETFs risky investments over the long term due to leveraged returns and day-to-day market volatility. Mutual funds are strictly limited regarding the amount of leverage they can use.
Both are less risky than investing in individual stocks & bonds. ETFs and mutual funds both come with built-in diversification. One fund could include tens, hundreds, or even thousands of individual stocks or bonds in a single fund. So if 1 stock or bond is doing poorly, there's a chance that another is doing well.
If you're paying fees for a fund with a high expense ratio or paying too much in taxes each year because of undesired capital gains distributions, switching to ETFs is likely the right choice. If your current investment is in an indexed mutual fund, you can usually find an ETF that accomplishes the same thing.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk.
The administrative costs of managing ETFs are commonly lower than those for mutual funds. ETFs keep their administrative and operational expenses down through market-based trading. Because ETFs are bought and sold on the open market, the sale of shares from one investor to another does not affect the fund.
For most standard, unleveraged ETFs that track an index, the maximum you can theoretically lose is the amount you invested, driving your investment value to zero. However, it's rare for broad-market ETFs to go to zero unless the entire market or sector it tracks collapses entirely.
What happens if an ETF goes bust?
ETFs may close due to lack of investor interest or poor returns. For investors, the easiest way to exit an ETF investment is to sell it on the open market. 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.
All investments have a risk rating ranging from low to high. An ETF with a low risk rating can still lose money. ETFs do not provide any guarantees of future performance. As with any investment, you might not get back the money you invested.
Key Takeaways
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. If you sell an ETF, and buy the same (or a substantially similar) ETF after less than 30 days, you may be subject to the wash sale rule.
Mutual funds tend to be actively managed, so they're trying to beat their benchmark, and may charge higher expenses than ETFs, including the possibility of sales commissions.
For investors who like the convenience and built-in diversification of a mutual fund, equity exchange-traded funds can make fine, tax-efficient options for taxable accounts. Most ETFs track indexes, so their turnover is often very low, meaning that capital gains distributions also tend to be few and far between.
- You trade actively. Intraday trades, stop orders, limit orders, options, and short selling—all are possible with ETFs, but not with mutual funds.
- You're tax sensitive. ETFs and index mutual funds tend to be generally more tax efficient than actively managed funds.
At least once a year, funds must pass on any net gains they've realized. As a fund shareholder, you could be on the hook for taxes on gains even if you haven't sold any of your shares.
Too much diversification can dilute performance
Adding new ETFs to a portfolio that includes this Energy ETF would decrease its performance.
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -0.07%) ...
- Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM 0.24%) ...
- Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ 0.19%) ...
- iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT 0.06%) ...
- Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP 0.76%)
This is an easy way to diversify your portfolio. To build this diversification with individual stocks, you'd have to do significant research and purchase shares in many different companies. Are ETFs safer than stocks? In many situations, ETFs can be safer than stocks because of their inherent diversification.
What is the best fixed income ETF?
- Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW)
- Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF (VPLS)
- DoubleLine Commercial Real Estate ETF (DCRE)
- Global X 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (CLIP)
- SPDR Portfolio Corporate Bond ETF (SPBO)
- JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF (JPST)
- iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF)
- iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLH)
Market Volatility and Risk Management
If a fund consistently underperforms over multiple periods and fails to deliver satisfactory returns, consider exiting the investment. Research and select funds with a similar investment objective but better track records and performance history to redirect your investments.
However, if you have noticed significantly poor performance over the last two or more years, it may be time to cut your losses and move on. To help your decision, compare the fund's performance to a suitable benchmark or to similar funds. Exceptionally poor comparative performance should be a signal to sell the fund.
Brokerage account holders simply get the value of their mutual fund investment transferred tax-free into the ETF version. The new ETF has the same managers and portfolio that the mutual fund had. If you were happy with your mutual fund, you don't have to take any action in response to the conversion.
One is enough, but you're probably getting too many when you're getting above 5 or 6 because it's just like you covered all the major geographies of the world. And then when it comes to your satellite, you know, you could have 20 thematic ETFs and active ETFs if you wanted to.
