Is it better to invest in one ETF or multiple?
Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification.
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.
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.
It's important to make sure that your portfolio is well-diversified, but holding too many funds means there's a risk some may overlap. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you could get back less than you invest. If you're not sure about investing, seek independent advice.
They are not designed to be long-term holds. Single Stock ETFs: Are not in the best interest of long-term investors. Lack diversification.
Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification.
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%.
A leveraged ETF uses derivative contracts to magnify the daily gains of an index or benchmark. 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.
ETFs can be safe investments if used correctly, offering diversification and flexibility. Indexed ETFs, tracking specific indexes like the S&P 500, are generally safe and tend to gain value over time. Leveraged ETFs can be used to amplify returns, but they can be riskier due to increased volatility.
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.
How many funds should I invest in Vanguard?
So, what's the magic number? There isn't a strict rule, but between five and 10 funds is usually a good idea. That lets you allocate money to different types of funds and markets without doubling up too much. It's also a manageable number to monitor and won't cost you too much in trading fees.
While there is no precise answer for the number of funds one should hold in a portfolio, 8 funds (+/-2) across asset classes may be considered optimal depending on the financial objectives and goals of the investor. Further, higher allocation of portfolio to the right fund is of crucial importance.
Lump-sum investing may generate slightly higher annualized returns than dollar-cost averaging as a general rule. However, dollar-cost averaging reduces initial timing risk, which may appeal to investors seeking to minimize potential short-term losses and 'regret 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.
The Fidelity Blue-Chip Growth ETF FBCG has jumped 58.7% in 2023 to become the best-performing U.S. fund, excluding ETNs and leveraged products, according to FactSet data. The WisdomTree U.S. Quality Growth Fund QGRW is up 56.2% this year, while the Invesco QQQ Trust Series I QQQ has risen 55.6% in 2023.
The top ETF of 2023 is iShares Expanded Tech Software Sector ETF (IGV), with a YTD return of 355.22%. Technology ETFs outperformed their peers this year, driven by the widespread adoption of AI and expectations of a soft landing in the economy in 2024.
$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.
| ETF | Ticker | Annualized 5-year return |
|---|---|---|
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | IVV | 15.65% |
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | SPY | 15.52% |
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | VOO | 14.26% |
While the S&P 500 index offers exposure to the largest companies, it excludes small- or mid-size companies, as well as international companies, Boneparth noted. While buying and holding exposure to the S&P 500 may prove wise over the long term, investors should resist reacting to market moves.
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”).
What is the rule of 40 in ETF?
The Rule of 40 states that, at scale, the combined value of revenue growth rate and profit margin should exceed 40% for healthy SaaS companies. The Rule of 40 – popularized by Brad Feld – states that an SaaS company's revenue growth rate plus profit margin should be equal to or exceed 40%.
Low-volatility investing
The more volatile a market is the more significant the potential risk. So, choosing ETFs with lower volatility is a solid strategy because low-volatility assets tend to exhibit better risk-adjusted returns over time.
Finding the best long-term ETFs can help reward you if you buy and hold, allowing you to compound your money over time. Even small differences in returns, just a few percent annually, can create an amazing improvement in your total wealth.
Yes, if you're using leverage or trading on margin, you can lose more than you invest in ETFs. Otherwise, in a standard investment without leverage, your losses are limited to the amount you've invested.
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.
