What is a good mix of 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.
To easily achieve true diversification, investors can use exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, for exposure. ETFs offer investors access to a wide range of asset classes, including U.S. stocks, international stocks, bonds and other commodities, all with the liquidity of traditional stocks and high transparency.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to portfolio construction. And while the optimal number of ETFs in a portfolio varies depending on your individual preferences, risk tolerance, and investment goals, a simpler portfolio with fewer ETFs is generally preferred.
In building a diversified ETF portfolio, investors should also consider their time horizon when choosing specific investments; long-term investors may choose to invest more heavily in growth-oriented funds such as small-cap equity or tech-focused funds, knowing they have a longer time period to help mitigate any short- ...
This investment strategy seeks total return through exposure to a diversified portfolio of primarily equity, and to a lesser extent, fixed income asset classes with a target allocation of 70% equities and 30% fixed income. Target allocations can vary +/-5%.
Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification.
SPY, VOO and IVV are among the most popular S&P 500 ETFs. These three S&P 500 ETFs are quite similar, but may sometimes diverge in terms of costs or daily returns. Investors generally only need one S&P 500 ETF.
Known as the 4% rule, Bengen argued that investors could safely set their annual withdrawal rate to 4% of their initial retirement pot and adjust it for inflation without running out of money over a 30-year time horizon.
The majority of individual investors should, however, seek to hold 5 to 10 ETFs that are diverse in terms of asset classes, regions, and other factors. Investors can diversify their investment portfolio across several industries and asset classes while maintaining simplicity by buying 5 to 10 ETFs.
Many investors use an S&P 500 ETF for a core holding and add ETFs from diverse categories, such as small-cap stock, foreign stock, various sectors, and fixed-income funds. Equal-weight portfolio structure: Another aptly named structure, an investor will assign an equal percentage weight to each ETF in the portfolio.
Is 10 ETFs too many?
Generally speaking, fewer than 10 ETFs are likely enough to diversify your portfolio, but this will vary depending on your financial goals, ranging from retirement savings to income generation.
"A newer investor with a modest portfolio may like the ease at which to acquire ETFs (trades like an equity) and the low-cost aspect of the investment. ETFs can provide an easy way to be diversified and as such, the investor may want to have 75% or more of the portfolio in ETFs."
In any type of fund, the chief benefit is diversification. Investing in an ETF that tracks a financial services index gives you ownership in a basket of financial stocks versus a single financial company. As the old cliché goes, you do not want to put all your eggs into one basket.
Specifically, a fund is prohibited from: acquiring more than 3% of a registered investment company's shares (the “3% Limit”); investing more than 5% of its assets in a single registered investment company (the “5% Limit”); or. investing more than 10% of its assets in registered investment companies (the “10% Limit”).
The S&P 500 data on exchange traded funds (ETFs) for 2019 seems to uphold this, with Monday being the only trading day with a drop in its average daily change percentage.
Under the Investment Company Act, private investment funds (e.g. hedge funds) are generally prohibited from acquiring more than 3% of an ETF's shares (the 3% Limit).
Key Takeaways
For most ETFs, selling after less than a year is taxed as a short-term capital gain. ETFs held for longer than a year are taxed as long-term gains. If you sell an ETF, and buy the same (or a substantially similar) ETF after less than 30 days, you may be subject to the wash sale rule.
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.
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOO is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market.
Think About This: $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 2000 would have grown to $32,527 over 20 years — an average return of 6.07% per year.
Why not invest in ETF?
Market risk
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk. Like a mutual fund or a closed-end fund, ETFs are only an investment vehicle—a wrapper for their underlying investment. So if you buy an S&P 500 ETF and the S&P 500 goes down 50%, nothing about how cheap, tax efficient, or transparent an ETF is will help you.
S&P500 index funds are the cheapest way to invest. They offer broad diversification and excellent long-term return expectations. They require no effort to select and hold. Going for more diversification can reduce risk somewhat while increasing expected return.
Visit your My NerdWallet Settings page to see all the writers you're following. RDIV and SPYD have some of the highest yields of any high-dividend ETF. It's possible to live off the income from high-dividend ETFs, but it may take some planning.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk.
These funds can offer high returns, but they also come with high risk and expenses. Funds that offer 3x leverage are particularly risky because they require higher leverage to achieve their returns.
