Appendix A
Great Web Resources to Help You Invest in ETFs
You can find anything online: gobs and gobs of information — and misinformation. And in the world of finance, there is more misinformation than information. If you pressed me, I’d put the ratio at about 7:2. Following are some websites you can trust to keep you informed about ETFs and other investment issues.
Independent, ETF-Specific Websites
www.etfdb.com: Boasts daily ETF news, educational articles, analysis, and an ETF screener. Find out which ETFs represent what asset classes for the lowest fees. Do double-check information, such as management fees for individual ETFs, as the website sometimes falls behind.
www.etftrends.com: A gossip column of sorts for ETF enthusiasts. There’s chitchat about new ETFs on the market, ETFs pending approval by the SEC, behind-the-scenes industry workings, and rumors.
www.etf.com: ETF news, commentary, and a very helpful screener. The website allows you to set up a watchlist and includes links to many other sources of information.
www.etfchannel.com: Includes an ETF finder, some interesting articles, lots of info on fund flows, and enough pop-up ads to make you want to scream.
www.morningstar.com (Click the ETF icon at the top of the screen): Thorough information on individual funds, along with industry news and Morningstar’s trademarked rating system. (One star is bad; five stars is grand.) See also http://etf.morningstar.com, which is the link to Morningstar’s ETFInvestor newsletter. It’s a paid publication, but there’s a fair amount of information that’s free.
Websites of ETF Providers
About 90 percent of all ETF money is invested with the seven following firms. The remaining 10 or so percent of the market is split among a number of players, all of which have a market share of less than 1 percent.
The seven biggies
www.ftportfolios.com: First Trust offers a full spectrum of options.
www.ishares.com/us: BlackRock’s iShares ETFs make BlackRock the number-one provider.
www.invesco.com: With a host of unusual indexes (for better or worse), Invesco is America’s number-four ETF provider.
https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/investment-strategies/etf-investing/: The largest U.S. bank, J.P. Morgan is trying to muscle in on the leaders, and having some success.
www.schwab.com: Offering a solid, plain-vanilla, reasonably priced lineup of ETFs, Schwab is number five in ETF assets.
www.ssga.com: The issuer of SPDRs, including the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), State Street Global Advisors is the https://investor.ganguard.com/home number-three ETF provider in the U.S.
https://investor.vanguard.com/home: The King of Indexing, producing some of the lowest-cost ETFs, Vanguard is still number two in ETFs, but moving in on iShares.
Some of the lesser players
www.alpsfunds.com: Lots of “smart beta,” for beta or worse.
www.ark-funds.com: Specializing in “disruptive” technologies.
www.bnymellon.com: The first provider with zero-cost ETFs.
www.cambriafunds.com: Some odd offerings, but not insane.
www.dfafunds.com: DFA is converting their fine mutual funds to ETFs.
www.direxioninvestments.com: Leveraging is their game.
www.etf.engine1.com: Using their muscle to make companies greener.
www.fidelity.com: A mutual fund giant, and a late arrival in the ETF game.
www.franklintempleton.com: Bring your passport; lots of international offerings.
www.globalxfunds.com: They seem to be issuing a new ETF every day.
www.gsam.com: Goldman Sachs offers basic asset classes, but always with a twist.
www.graniteshares.com: You can’t invest in granite, but there are other commodities.
www.humankindfunds.com: Focused on humanity.
www.pimcoetfs.com: Bond people. Purely bond people.
www.kraneshares.com: Unique offerings from this China-based firm.
www.proshares.com: ETFs for a wild ride.
www.wisdomtree.com: You say you like dividends?
www.vaneck.com: Initially specializing in metals and other hard assets, but now branching out.
www.etf.dws.com: Xtrackers ETFs, from the German group DWS, which specializes in currency-hedged foreign-stock ETFs.
Financial Supermarkets
Otherwise known as large brokerage houses, here are some places where you can buy, sell, and house your ETFs — as well as other investments, such as mutual funds and individual stocks and bonds.
www.etrade.com: Or call E*Trade at 1-800-387-2331.
www.fidelity.com: Or call Fidelity at 1-800-343-3548.
www.interactivebrokers.com: Or call Interactive Brokers at 1-877-442-2757.
www.schwab.com: Or call Charles Schwab at 1-866-855-9102.
www.tdameritrade.com: Or call TD Ameritrade at 1-800-454-9272.
www.troweprice.com: Or call T. Rowe Price at 1-888-285-2609.
www.vanguard.com: Or call Vanguard at 1-877-662-7447.
Stock Exchanges
www.nasdaq.com: Despite the fact that not many ETFs are listed on the NASDAQ, the website has some very cool ETF-related features. Try clicking Market Activity on the top banner, and then clicking Funds and ETFs.
www.nyse.com: Most ETFs are traded on the NYSE platforms. Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of specific ETF information on the website, but there is a wealth of general information about the world of finance.
Specialty Websites
www.bogleheads.org: The forum where index investors go to debate (respectfully, for the most part) other index investors.
www.cboe.com: The Chicago Board Options Exchange — if options trading is your kind of thing, or you think it might be.
www.multpl.com: Robert Shiller’s modified P/E index for tactical asset allocators (see Chapter 23).
www.reit.com: Everything you could want to know about real estate investment trusts (REITs), including REIT ETFs. This website is brought to you by the National Association of REITs. Very rah-rah.
www.ussif.org. A wealth of information on investing for social good, from The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment.
Regulatory Agencies
www.finra.org: The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority website. If you click the For Investors tab, it has all sorts of helpful information for do-it-yourselfers. The Fund Analyzer is a great way to assess any ETF (or mutual fund) quickly.
www.sec.gov: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Under the Education tab, you’ll find all sorts of helpful information. Click Check Your Investment Professional to make sure a financial planner is fully licensed. You’ll also find out if your candidate has any disciplinary history for unethical conduct.
The People Who Create the Indexes
Dow Jones, Russell, Standard & Poors, and others create the indexes that ETFs track. Just in case you’re interested:
Good Places to Go for General Financial News, Advice, and Education
www.businessinsider.com/: Hard news and thoughtful essays.
http://finance.yahoo.com: Extensive information and analysis, all for free.
www.bloomberg.com: Hardcore financial data and general business news.
www.cnn.com/business: Get your daily fix of everything money-related.
www.moneychimp.com: Silly name, but serious site. It contains some good investing basics and helpful calculators.
www.morningstar.com: Anything and everything about stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs.
www.wsj.com: Could this list not include The Wall Street Journal?
Yours Truly
www.globalportfolios.net or www.russellwild.com: Both URLs will take you to the same place — the author’s own website. Feel free to visit me anytime.