Beginners Guide To Investing In ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds)

To invest in ETFs, all you need to do is open an account, choose the appropriate ETF, execute a trade, and keep an eye on your money. ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, have gained popularity as a way to combine the advantages of using investment funds with direct stock and share investing. This article explains the benefits of ETFs, how to invest in them, and what to look out for when making a purchase.

An exchange-traded fund: what is it?

With the help of an exchange-traded fund (ETF), investors can access the securities and commodities markets without having to possess the conventional stock-picking abilities needed to choose individual shares or extensive knowledge of commodities like precious metals or natural resources.

This is because ETFs focus more on a grouping of the top holdings in a specific market, industry, or other tradeable asset like gold than they do on specific companies.

Developed in the 1990s, ETFs were initially traded in London in 2000. Since then, investors from all over the world have shown a great deal of interest in them. Data provider Statista estimates that there were 8,754 ETFs in the globe in 2022, with around $10 trillion in total assets.

Speaking specifically to the UK, Refinitiv data indicates that as of July 2023, the total value of ETF assets listed on the London Stock Exchange was £907 billion. Over one-third of UK investors between the ages of 18 and 34 hold, according to asset management Wisdom Tree.

How are ETFs operated?

ETFs are “collective investments” that let like-minded investors combine their contributions and give a seasoned fund management company control over their money.

To produce the ETF, this company purchases a variety of assets, such as bonds and shares. After that, it sells shares that reflect the ETF’s value based on how well the underlying assets perform. Then, these ETF shares can be exchanged on markets using the same procedures as regular equities.

What belongs to whom?

An investor who purchases shares in an ETF does not become the owner of any of the underlying assets. Instead, the assets are owned by the ETF manager, who also modifies the quantity of related ETF shares to maintain price parity with the index or underlying assets.

ETF types

ETFs can be divided into two main groups.

Like index tracker funds, physical exchange-traded funds (ETFs) own the assets associated with the index in question and use a sampling technique or fully replicate the index by purchasing all the shares in proportion to the index profile.

Swap-based or synthetic exchange-traded funds (ETFs) track an index or other benchmark by using financial instruments known as derivatives. In this instance, an ETF offers a financial institution, such as a bank, a basket of securities as collateral in exchange for a ‘swap’ contract.

The swap is the institution’s promise to pay out the necessary index return in exchange for the collateral’s performance. If an ETF provider offers swap-based or physical contracts, it will say so on its website.

If there are issues with the other businesses that created the tracking performance, synthetically-backed products may lose money; if they go bankrupt, investors might not get their money back. We call this counterparty risk.

Purchase and sale orders

While purchasing ETFs, you can use “stop,” “limit,” and “open” orders just like you would with other kinds of shares.

These are directives, as their names imply, that are sent to the brokerage or investing platform and take effect when specific prices are met. They may be intended to prevent unpleasant or unanticipated surprises for the prospective investment.

What are ETFs’ benefits and drawbacks?

Since ETFs are “passive” investments, they don’t require “active” asset selection; instead, they mimic, rather than beat, a specific benchmark (like a stock index).

This makes them less expensive to own than traditional “active” funds, where managers aim to regularly modify the assortment of securities under their supervision with the assistance of analysts.

This is significant because contributions from investors have a greater chance of increasing investment returns the less in management fees they are required to pay.

In addition to competitive fees (see below), ETFs offer investors diversification. By distributing their funds across several industries, they can better safeguard their assets against stock market shocks.

Dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of companies make up stock market indices. It is simpler to use ETFs to provide exposure to numerous of these companies at once than to remove numerous individual shareholdings to accomplish the same goal.

Keep in mind that the case for diversity weakens when specialty sector ETFs—that is, funds that are specifically intended to focus on a narrow segment of the market or a particular industry—are highlighted.

Even though an ETF manager usually makes an effort to ensure that the investment performance of the fund follows the designated index, the fund may veer off course due to what are known as “tracking errors.”

A manager may need to replace assets in the ETF or make other adjustments such that the fund’s holdings deviate slightly from the index, which can lead to tracking inaccuracy. Hopefully, these will be fixed in due course.

How do I make ETF investments?

You may utilize exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to make some of the underlying investments in your portfolio if you work with a financial advisor.

You can verify by going over the updates you get on a quarterly, half-yearly, or annual basis. Accompanying the performance numbers should be a breakdown of the various sorts of funds.

Learn more about financial advisors—their duties, qualifications, methods for locating one, and fees—by visiting this website.

A compromise between shelling out for full-fledged financial guidance and choosing to handle your finances alone is provided by robo-advisors (see below). They provide an additional way to be exposed to ETFs, and several suppliers in this market give access to a large selection of options.

Starting with a well-diversified portfolio for under £100 is feasible. However be aware that ETFs range widely in price, from a few pounds to several hundred each unit. This could ultimately influence the investment you choose to make.

Investors pay stamp duty, which amounts to 0.5% of the purchase price when purchasing firm shares listed on a stock exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. However, even though exchange-traded funds are traded on exchanges, most countries, including the UK, do not impose stamp duty on them.

ETFs can be held inside tax-exempt products like individual savings accounts, or ISAs, much like individual stocks, shares, and other kinds of investment funds. Choosing this course of action protects investors from having to pay income tax on capital gains or dividends.

Inquiries to make before purchasing an ETF?

The size and variety of investments available can differ between providers, so it’s important to think about the kind of ETFs you want to purchase before registering for a platform or downloading an app. The costs (discussed above) can differ amongst service providers as well.

It’s important to find out if a platform has a minimum deposit requirement in addition to fees. Make sure your potential provider has access to as many of your investment preferences as possible if you intend to combine both ETFs and other fund kinds under one investing roof.

Examine the degree of support and customer service offered if you run into issues managing your ETF portfolio, as well as whether the previously mentioned stop/loss instructions can be implemented.

Before making a purchase, prospective investors should generally consider if they want to follow international firms that comprise an index of the global stock market, or if they have a preference for equities from a certain nation, such as the US or the UK.

If the emphasis is going to be on companies in niche markets like technology, energy, or healthcare, it’s critical to select a platform that offers access to the required ETFS.

Generally speaking, the more assets under management an ETF has, which you can find out via its web factsheet, the more liquid the fund will be on the market.

A measure of liquidity is how simple it is for an investor to enter or exit an investment. The difference between a fund’s “sell” and “buy” prices will decrease with increased liquidity.

Thankfully, it should not be too difficult to select a good ETF from the multitude that are currently available. Almost every type of security or asset accessible in financial markets has been used to construct exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The London Stock Exchange reports that around 1,500 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) covering approximately 50 issuers are listed on its primary market. Statista researchers estimate that there are about 8,500 ETFs in use globally.

See our article on our list of the top ETFs to purchase for a range of broad-based ETFs selected by an investment specialist to cater to a range of investor profiles.

What is an ETC, or exchange-traded commodity?

Similar to exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded contracts (ETCs) track the performance of commodities like gold rather than stock market indices. The simplest method to accomplish this could be to keep the contested commodity in a physical form, such as gold bullion. We refer to this as a “physical ETC.”

A different strategy is to mimic the rise and decrease in a commodity’s price by using financial instruments like derivatives. “Synthetic ETCs” is the term for these.

What distinguishes an index fund from an exchange-traded fund?

Because index funds are a kind of “pooled fund,” their pricing occurs once a day. However, an ETF is traded directly on a stock exchange and is available for purchase or sale at any time during regular business hours. This indicates that its price is dynamic and gives ETFs greater flexibility than an index fund in terms of liquidity, or the ease with which an asset can be bought and sold. Get additional information on the distinctions between ETFs and index funds.

Are ETFs suitable for beginners?

From the initial motivations for wanting to invest to the level of risk that an individual is willing to accept along the road, investing is very much a personal experience. ETFs can provide very inexpensive exposure to a broad range of the investment market, ranging from more specialized, sector-based sectors of the market to complete stock market indices (such as the FTSE 100, S&P 500, etc.), depending on the decisions made.

What taxes apply to ETFs?

ETFs having UK domicile are those that are registered and administered in the UK. These funds are governed by UK tax regulations and overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority. When it comes to UK investors, UK-domiciled ETFs are often easier to deal with than ETFs with foreign domiciles.

ETFs with UK domicile are subject to the same capital gains tax (CGT) regulations as other investments like equities and shares. When gains from the sale of an ETF above the annual exemption level, which is presently £6,000 for the 2023–24 tax year and will halve for the 2024–25 tax year, they become subject to capital gains tax (CGT).

Income tax is also applied to dividends and interest payouts from UK-domiciled ETFs; the exact rate applied depends on the tax bracket of each investment.

Underlying assets are shielded from tax when investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through a tax-efficient savings vehicle, like an individual savings account.

Related: Overseas Education Consultants

Conclusion

A great way to get started in the stock market is via exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Since a single fund contains a diverse range of investments, they are less expensive and usually involve less risk than individual equities.

Well done, you’re almost done purchasing your first ETF. These funds can act as the foundation of a long-term investment in the markets and as the initial step towards a well-diversified portfolio. There’s no reason to constantly monitor the performance of this ETF or any of your other investments, but if you ever need to, you can look up the ticker symbol on the website of your brokerage or just search for it on Google.