ETFs, also known as Exchange Traded Funds, are the most popular and investor-friendly investment inventions of the past century.
ETFs are now a $7 trillion market and offer a wide variety of exposures to all market sectors, equity and bond styles, indexes, and specific categories of investments, such as ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) funds.
Basically, ETFs allow you to trade the market in a single purchase, have continuous pricing, buy on margin, sell short (on a downtick), and access the market via all types of orders.
To access this market, here are some of the largest ETF providers:
SPDR S&P 500 Index Trust (SPY)
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV)
Invesco QQQ Trust Series (QQQ)
Vanguard FTSE Developed Market Index (VEA)
Vanguard Total Bond Market (BND)
This video provides the basics of how ETFs work and why they belong in your 401(k), or retirement portfolio.
