Know your ETFs…

Article Excerpt

What is an ETF? An Exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a pooled investment vehicle that trades like a common stock on the market. Investors own a portion of all the assets held by the ETF. What assets do ETFs hold? Publicly traded equities, bonds, commodities, currencies, stock options and futures. What are the associated costs of investing in ETFs? Direct costs are broker trading fees to buy and sell ETF units on the stock exchange. Indirect costs include an ETF management fee as well as portfolio trading and administrative costs. What are the benefits of investing in ETFs? Lower management fees than mutual funds; intraday trading on stock exchanges; and diversified exposure through a single investment. What are the risks? Apart from normal market risks, some ETFs also employ leverage or use options and futures, which add risk. What about taxation? Gains on ETF transactions are taxed as capital gains, and dividend distributions are taxed as income or “eligible dividends.” dividends.”…