Are ETFs a good way to build wealth?
For most individual investors, ETFs represent an ideal type of asset with which to build a diversified portfolio. In addition, ETFs tend to have much lower expense ratios compared to actively managed funds, can be more tax-efficient, and offer the option to immediately reinvest dividends.
Investing with ETFs is a strategy that can help you increase the value of your investments and net worth over time.
S&P 500 ETFs are a popular choice even for billionaire investors. The index has a long track record of returning an average of 9% a year. Index funds may hold additional appeal during times of uncertainty.
In a nutshell: Yes, ETFs alone are enough to make you rich. With just one investment, you can capture the growth of the overall stock market or a certain segment of it. For example, you can find ETFs that focus on pretty much any industry, investment theme, or region of the globe.
At any given time, the spread on an ETF may be high, and the market price of shares may not correspond to the intraday value of the underlying securities. Those are not good times to transact business. Make sure you know what an ETF's current intraday value is as well as the market price of the shares before you buy.
ETFs can be a great investment for long-term investors and those with shorter-term time horizons. They can be especially valuable to beginning investors. That's because they won't require the time, effort, and experience needed to research individual stocks.
Investing in ETFs can be a great way to generate passive income, with features such as diversification, low expenses, and easy trading.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Owns 2 ETFs: SPY and VOO
Regardless of what Berkshire buys or sells, one of the cheapest ways for an investor to diversify is with an exchange-traded fund. If you want to buy what Buffett has at Berkshire, he has two ETFs listed on the 13F: SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO.
Most of Warren Buffett's portfolio through his holding company Berkshire Hathaway is comprised of individual stocks. He does own two ETFs, though, both of which are S&P 500 ETFs: the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -0.11%) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY -0.09%). An S&P 500 ETF tracks the S&P 500 index itself.
Symbol | Name | Dividend Yield |
---|---|---|
TSLY | YieldMax TSLA Option Income Strategy ETF | 54.04% |
TILL | Teucrium Agricultural Strategy No K-1 ETF | 52.62% |
NVDQ | T-Rex 2X Inverse NVIDIA Daily Target ETF | 51.15% |
OARK | YieldMax Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF | 38.69% |
Is 20 ETFs too much?
However, it's important to balance diversification and complexity. Holding too many ETFs can limit gains and make it harder to manage, while holding too few can increase risk. Aim for around 10 to 20 diversified ETFs that align with your goals and risk tolerance.
Investors who hold ETFs that are not liquid may have trouble selling them at the price they want or in the time frame necessary. Moreover, if an ETF invests in illiquid shares or uses leverage, the market price of the ETF may fall dramatically below the fund's NAV.
Interest rate changes are the primary culprit when bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs) lose value. As interest rates rise, the prices of existing bonds fall, which impacts the value of the ETFs holding these assets.
ETFs offer advantages over stocks in two situations. First, when the return from stocks in the sector has a narrow dispersion around the mean, an ETF might be the best choice. Second, if you are unable to gain an advantage through knowledge of the company, an ETF is your best choice.
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.
One way to think about it is every three months taking whatever excess income you can afford to invest – money that you will never need to touch again – and buy ETFs! Buy ETFs when the market is up. Buy ETFs when the market is down.
Moreover, the S&P 500 is just one piece of the investment puzzle. Diversification is key to any successful investment strategy, and putting all of your eggs in one basket is never a good idea.
- Trading fees.
- Operating expenses.
- Low trading volume.
- Tracking errors.
- The possibility of less diversification.
- Hidden risks.
- Lack of liquidity.
- Capital gains distributions.
Yes, you could. The underlying assets owned by the ETF could become worthless. Literally worthless is not likely, but the ETF will change in value as the underlying portfolio. An ETF does not go up in price when bought like a stock.
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Warren Buffett has long recommended the S&P 500 index fund and ETF, and through his holding company Berkshire Hathaway, he also owns two of these types of investments: the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY).
Buffett's favorite ETF
There are only two ETFs in Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK. A) (NYSE: BRK.B) portfolio: the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO).
Warren Buffett has been very vocal about his disdain for gold as an investment. He sees little to no value in it. What Buffett refers to as a lack of value results from a lack of usefulness. He once stated about gold, "It doesn't do anything but sit there and look at you."
Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street dominate the ETF market with the most offerings.