How much should I put in an ETF? (2023)

How much of a portfolio should be in ETFs?

Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification. But the number of ETFs is not what you should be looking at. Rather, you should consider the number of different sources of risk you are getting with those ETFs.

There is no minimum amount required to begin investing in ETFs. All you need is enough to cover the price of one share and any associated commissions or fees. Diversification.

Volume is the number of shares that trade on any given day. The higher the volume, the better. For example, if MSFT trades, on average, 10 million shares per day, it will be easier to trade than something that trades 100 shares per day.

Since the job of most ETFs is to track an index, we can assess an ETF's efficiency by weighing the fee rate the fund charges against how well it “tracks”—or replicates the performance of—its index. ETFs that charge low fees and track their indexes tightly are highly efficient and do their job well.

As a general rule of thumb, most investors would peg a sufficiently diversified portfolio as one that holds 20 to 30 investments across various stock market sectors. However, others favor keeping a larger number of stocks, especially if they're riskier growth stocks.

Holding period:

If you hold ETF shares for one year or less, then gain is short-term capital gain. If you hold ETF shares for more than one year, then gain is long-term capital gain.

Are ETFs good for beginners? ETFs are great for stock market beginners and experts alike. They're relatively inexpensive, available through robo-advisors as well as traditional brokerages, and tend to be less risky than investing individual stocks.

Should you invest in ETFs? Since ETFs offer built-in diversification and don't require large amounts of capital in order to invest in a range of stocks, they are a good way to get started. You can trade them like stocks while also enjoying a diversified portfolio.

How many shares of an ETF should I buy?

Generally, you'll need to buy at least one whole share when placing an order. However, if you use a broker that allows fractional shares, you can put any amount of money to work, regardless of the ETF price. In many cases these brokers do not charge a trading commission either.

Reasons for ETF Liquidation

The top reasons for closing or liquidating an ETF include a lack of investor interest and a limited amount of assets. An investor may not choose an ETF because it is too narrowly-focused, too complex, or has a poor return on investment.

However, there are disadvantages of ETFs. They come with fees, can stray from the value of their underlying asset, and (like any investment) come with risks. So it's important for any investor to understand the downside of ETFs.

Investors are more willing to accept risks if they evaluate their investments less often. Research on myopic loss aversion and stock performance shows that an investor who checks his or her portfolio quarterly instead of daily reduces the chance of seeing a moderate loss (of -2% or more) from 25% to 12%.

It's a common belief that investors get rich by picking individual stocks and beating the market. While that can be true, stock picking isn't the only path for investors to build wealth. Funds -- ETFs in particular -- can also make you a millionaire, even though many of them never beat the market.

Most of the time, ETFs work just like they're supposed to: happily tracking their indexes and trading close to net asset value. But sometimes, something in the ETF breaks, and prices can get way out of whack.

Plenty of ETFs fail to garner the assets necessary to cover these costs and, consequently, ETF closures happen regularly. In fact, a significant percentage of ETFs are currently at risk of closure. There's no need to panic though: Broadly speaking, ETF investors don't lose their investment when an ETF closes.

Most ETFs pay dividends quarterly, but some offer investors monthly earnings.

As with stocks and many mutual funds, most ETFs pay their dividends quarterly—once every three months. However, ETFs that offer monthly dividend returns are also available. While there are many ETFs that pay out regular dividends, we look at just eight of them here.

Do ETFs always go up?

Like stocks, ETFs are bought and sold on a stock exchange. So ETFs see price fluctuations constantly throughout the day. Mutual fund orders only go through once a day, where buyers and sellers get the same price.

ETFs, on the other hand, can offer much greater returns for a higher amount of risk, although this will depend on the ETF chosen. According to Stockspot's report, the top-performing ETFs have returned upwards of 70% in 2021, with one returning more than 95%. Past returns no guarantee of future returns.

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.

You can lose more than you invested.

Just as profits can be magnified, so too can losses. If you purchase stock on margin and it loses value, you still have to repay the borrowed money plus interest.