Index mutual funds and exchange traded funds?
Index Fund vs. ETF: An Overview
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds are similar in many ways but ETFs are considered to be more convenient to enter or exit. They can be traded more easily than index funds and traditional mutual funds, similar to how common stocks are traded on a stock exchange.
Index Fund vs. ETF: An Overview
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds are similar in many ways but ETFs are considered to be more convenient to enter or exit. They can be traded more easily than index funds and traditional mutual funds, similar to how common stocks are traded on a stock exchange.
Fees and expenses
ETFs trade on an exchange just like stocks, and you buy or sell them through a broker. Index funds are bought directly from the fund manager. Because ETFs are bought and sold on an exchange, you will pay a commission to your broker each time you make a trade.
The main difference between ETF and Mutual Fund is that while ETFs can be actively bought and sold on the exchanges, just like any other shares, one can only purchase a unit of a Mutual Fund from a fund house even though these can be listed on the exchanges.
Index investing pioneer Vanguard's S&P 500 Index Fund was the first index mutual fund for individual investors.
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.
ETFs are more tax-efficient than index funds by nature, thanks to the way they're structured. When you sell an ETF, you're typically selling it to another investor who's buying it, and the cash is coming directly from them. Capital gains taxes on that sale are yours and yours alone to pay.
The tried-and-tested stocks form a solid basis for long-term gains, while investments in newer or undervalued stocks provide the potential for rapid growth in exchange for a certain degree of risk. Unlike ETFs, mutual funds can offer more specific strategies as well as blends of strategies.
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.
| ETF | Expense ratio |
|---|---|
| SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) | 0.35% |
| ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) | 0.95% |
| Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) | 0.04% |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) | 0.03% |
Are ETFs riskier than mutual funds?
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. Stocks are usually riskier than bonds, and corporate bonds come with somewhat more risk than U.S. government bonds.
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.
Since early 2021, there have been more than 70 mutual fund to exchange-traded fund conversions, including nearly three dozen in 2023, according to Morningstar Direct. The primary benefit of the conversions is greater tax efficiency for investors since ETFs generally don't have capital gains distributions, experts say.
The greatest risk for investors is market risk. If the underlying index that an ETF tracks drops in value by 30% due to unfavorable market price movements, the value of the ETF will drop as well.
For most personal investors, an optimal number of ETFs to hold would be 5 to 10 across asset classes, geographies, and other characteristics.
Our recommendation for the best overall S&P 500 index fund is the Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX). With a 0.015% expense ratio, this fund is the cheapest one on our list. In addition, the fund does not have a minimum initial investment requirement, sales loads or trading fees.
One of the most significant differences between an index fund and an ETFs is how they trade. Shares of ETFs trade like stocks; they're bought and sold whenever markets are open. While you can order index fund shares whenever you wish, share purchases only happen once a day, after the markets close.
Disadvantages include the lack of downside protection, no choice in index composition, and it cannot beat the market (by definition). To index invest, find an index, find a fund tracking that index, and then find a broker to buy shares in that fund.
Many investment strategists believe index funds should be a core component of a retirement portfolio. Because they don't require active management, the fees and the expense ratios of index funds tend to be lower, which means they can often outperform higher-cost funds, even without beating them.
Both VOO and SPY are index funds based on the S&P 500. Stock holdings and sector allocations are nearly identical. Performance is also nearly identical, but the VOO has slightly outperformed the SPY over the long term. Both funds are easily available at popular investment brokers and through robo-advisors.
Are ETFs more tax-efficient than index mutual funds?
Although similar to mutual funds, equity ETFs are generally more tax-efficient because they tend not to distribute a lot of capital gains.
Mutual Funds: The Differences That Matter. The three main differences are management style, investment objective and cost — and index funds are the clear winner over the long term.
Consider Both ETFs and Mutual Funds
If you own an actively managed mutual fund, also buying a passively managed ETF may protect against the downside risk and volatility associated with an actively managed mutual fund.
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.
ETFs don't often have large fees that are associated with some mutual funds. But because ETFs are traded like stocks, you typically pay a commission to buy and sell them. Although there are some commission-free ETFs in the market, they might have higher expense ratios to recover expenses lost from being fee-free.
