What are 2 key differences between ETFs and mutual funds?
While they can be actively or passively managed by fund managers, most ETFs are passive investments pegged to the performance of a particular index. Mutual funds come in both active and indexed varieties, but most are actively managed. Active mutual funds are managed by fund managers.
With a mutual fund, you buy and sell based on dollars, not market price or shares. And you can specify any dollar amount you want—down to the penny or as a nice round figure, like $3,000. With an ETF, you buy and sell based on market price—and you can only trade full shares.
Unlike mutual funds, an ETF trades like a common stock on a stock exchange. ETFs experience price changes throughout the day as they are bought and sold. *ETFs typically have higher daily liquidity and lower fees than mutual fund shares, making them an attractive alternative for individual investors.
FoFs are actively managed funds while ETFs are considered to be passively managed funds. Hence the cost or the expense ratio is higher in the case of FoFs as compared to ETFs.
ETFs can be more tax-efficient than actively managed funds due to their lower turnover and fewer transactions that produce capital gains. ETFs are bought and sold on an exchange throughout the day while mutual funds can be bought or sold only once a day at the latest closing price.
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.
ETFs and index mutual funds tend to be generally more tax efficient than actively managed funds. And, in general, ETFs tend to be more tax efficient than index mutual funds. You want niche exposure. Specific ETFs focused on particular industries or commodities can give you exposure to market niches.
Although ETFs are generally cheaper than other lower-risk investment options (such as mutual funds) they are not free. ETFs are traded on the stock exchange like an individual stock, which means that investors may have to pay a real or virtual broker in order to facilitate the trade.
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.
There are many ways an ETF can stray from its intended index. That tracking error can be a cost to investors. Indexes do not hold cash but ETFs do, so a certain amount of tracking error in an ETF is expected. Fund managers generally hold some cash in a fund to pay administrative expenses and management fees.
Why are ETFs cheaper than mutual funds?
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.
ETF issuers collect any dividends paid by the companies whose stocks are held in the fund, and they then pay those dividends to their shareholders. They may pay the money directly to the shareholders, or reinvest it in the fund.
In terms of safety, neither the mutual fund nor the ETF is safer than the other due to its structure. Safety is determined by what the fund itself owns.
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.
ETFs offer numerous advantages including diversification, liquidity, and lower expenses compared to many mutual funds. They can also help minimize capital gains taxes. But these benefits can be offset by some downsides that include potentially lower returns with higher intraday volatility.
- Nippon India ETF Nifty 50 BeES. ₹ 241.63.
- Nippon India ETF PSU Bank BeES. ₹ 76.03.
- BHARAT 22 ETF. ₹ 96.10.
- Mirae Asset NYSE FANG+ ETF. ₹ 84.5.
- UTI S&P BSE Sensex ETF. ₹ 781.
- Nippon India ETF Gold BeES. ₹ 55.5.
- Nippon India Etf Nifty Bank Bees. ₹ 471.9.
- HDFC Nifty50 Value 20 ETF. ₹ 123.2.
To redeem shares of an ETF, an AP will accumulate a sufficient number of shares of the ETF to constitute at least a creation unit and will then exchange these ETF shares with the ETF issuer for a basket of securities of equivalent value.
Mutual fund fees generally fall into two big buckets: Annual fund operating expenses: Ongoing fees toward the cost of paying managers, accountants, legal fees, marketing and the like. Shareholder fees: Sales commissions and other one-time costs when you buy or sell mutual fund shares.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk.
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.
What is more expensive ETF or mutual fund?
For the most part, ETFs are less costly than mutual funds. There are exceptions—and investors should always examine the relative costs of ETFs and mutual funds. However—all else being equal—the structural differences between the 2 products do give ETFs a cost advantage over mutual funds.
Low Liquidity
If an ETF is thinly traded, there can be problems getting out of the investment, depending on the size of your position relative to the average trading volume. The biggest sign of an illiquid investment is large spreads between the bid and the ask.
Holding too many ETFs in your portfolio introduces inefficiencies that in the long term will have a detrimental impact on the risk/reward profile of your portfolio.
Index investing pioneer Vanguard's S&P 500 Index Fund was the first index mutual fund for individual investors.
| Fund (ticker) | 5-year annual returns | Expense ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) | 14.5% | 0.03% |
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) | 14.5% | 0.095% |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) | 14.5% | 0.03% |
| Schwab S&P 500 Index (SWPPX) | 14.5% | 0.02% |
