Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are growing ever more popular, as they were created to combine the best characteristics of both stocks and mutual funds into a combined investment vehicle.
Four of the common advantages of ETFs over mutual funds include the following:
- Tax-Friendly Investing - unlike mutual funds, ETFs are very tax-efficient. Mutual funds typically have capital gain payouts at year-end, due to redemptions throughout the year; ETFs minimize capital gains by doing like-kind exchanges of stock, thus shielding the fund from any need to sell stocks to meet redemptions. Therefore, it is not treated as a taxable event.
- No Investment Minimums - Several mutual funds have minimum investment requirements of $2,500, $3,000 or even $5,000. ETFs, on the other hand, can be purchased for as little as one share.
- Lower Cost Alternative - The average mutual fund still has an internal cost well over 1%, whereas most ETF funds will have an internal expense ratio typically between 0.30-0.95%. Plus, ETFs do not charge 12b-1 fees (advertising fees) or sales charges, as do many mutual funds.
- More Trading Control - Mutual funds are traded once per day at the closing NAV price. ETFs trade on an exchange all throughout the trading day, just like a stock. This allows you greater purchasing/selling price control and the ability to set protection features, such as stop-loss limits on your investments.
For additional reading, check out
Mutual Fund Or ETF: Which Is Right For You?
This question was answered by
Steven Merkel
by
Steven T. Merkel, CFP®, ChFC, is the Managing Director of wealth management operations for Piedmont Investment Advisors, LLC in Naples/Bonita Springs, Fla. Steve is a former U.S. Army air defense artillery officer and has been giving financial advice for more than 16 years. He is a Certified Financial Planner® practitioner and a Chartered Financial Consultant. Mr. Merkel has been featured and widely quoted in numerous publications including The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, Consumer Reports, Investment News, Financial Planning Magazine and Fidelity's Stages Quarterly. He enjoys fishing, golf, military history, Miami Hurricane football and relaxing on the beaches of South Florida.
