Investing in ETFs | Low-cost & tax-efficient ETFs | Fidelity (2024)

FAQs

Are ETFs really more tax-efficient? ›

ETFs are generally considered more tax-efficient than mutual funds, owing to the fact that they typically have fewer capital gains distributions. However, they still have tax implications you must consider, both when creating your portfolio as well as when timing the sale of an ETF you hold.

For instance, some ETFs may come with fees, others might stray from the value of the underlying asset, ETFs are not always optimized for taxes, and of course — like any investment — ETFs also come with risk.

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.

ETFs are structured in a way that avoids taxable events for ETF shareholders. ETFs can avoid the wash sale rule because ETFs typically are an index for a sector or a group of stocks and are not "substantially identical" to a single stock.

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.

Leveraged ETF prices tend to decay over time, and triple leverage will tend to decay at a faster rate than 2x leverage. As a result, they can tend toward zero.

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 may close due to lack of investor interest or poor returns. For investors, the easiest way to exit an ETF investment is to sell it on the open market. Liquidation of ETFs is strictly regulated; when an ETF closes, any remaining shareholders will receive a payout based on what they had invested in the ETF.

For ETFs held more than a year, you'll owe long-term capital gains taxes at a rate up to 23.8%, once you include the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) on high earners. If you hold the ETF for less than a year, you'll be taxed at the ordinary income rate.

How long should you hold an ETF? ›

Similarly, you should consider holding those ETFs with gains past their first anniversary to take advantage of the lower long-term capital gains tax rates. ETFs that invest in currencies, metals, and futures do not follow the general tax rules.

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF is designed for tax-sensitive investors with an intermediate-term time horizon and a preference for passive management. The new ETF has an expense ratio of 0.08%, compared with the average expense ratio for competing funds of 0.37%¹.

You expose your portfolio to much higher risk with sector ETFs, so you should use them sparingly, but investing 5% to 10% of your total portfolio assets may be appropriate. If you want to be highly conservative, don't use these at all.

A premium passive income producer

Its primary goal is to deliver monthly income and equity market exposure with less volatility than the broader stock market. The ETF has certainly lived up to its name over the past year, delivering premium income compared to other yield-focused asset classes.

If you're looking for an easy solution to investing, ETFs can be an excellent choice. ETFs typically offer a diversified allocation to whatever you're investing in (stocks, bonds or both). You want to beat most investors, even the pros, with little effort.

The capital gains taxes you'll pay

ETFs are more tax-efficient than index funds by nature, thanks to the way they're structured.

On average, our findings show, an ETF gives an extra 0.20 percentage point a year in posttax performance compared with mutual funds, and international-equity ETFs even more—upward of 0.33 percentage point on average.

Generally, ETFs will have a slight edge from a tax efficiency perspective. ETFs tend to distribute comparatively fewer capital gains to shareholders – these same gains are simply more challenging to manage efficiently from a mutual fund. Overall, VOO and VTI are considered to have the same level of tax efficiency.

ETFs are most often linked to a benchmarking index, meaning that they are often not designed to outperform that index. Investors looking for this type of outperformance (which also, of course, carries added risks) should perhaps look to other opportunities.