The world of exchange-traded funds changes rapidly. New products are added to the ETF roster almost daily, some of which are reasonably priced and track indexes that make good sense, and others of which are pricey, complicated, and potentially dangerous to the investor. You cannot assume that every ETF is a good product. Instead, always do your research before making any investment decision. How can you stay informed when the ETF market changes so rapidly? Checking in on the following websites is a great way to start:
Yahoo! Finance
(http://finance.yahoo.com/etf) Features a search function with intimate details on individual funds, an ETF glossary, and regularly updated news and commentary.
Seeking Alpha
(http://seekingalpha.com/dashboard/etfs) Features some the smartest commentary on fund investing you’ll find anywhere.
ETF Database
(http://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.
ETF Guide
(http://www.etfguide.com/) A good, quick summary of the entire ETF world. Contains a complete listing of all ETFs available, along with ticker symbols.
ETF Trends
(http://www.etftrends.com/) A gossip column of sorts for ETF enthusiasts. There’s chit chat about new ETFs on the market, ETFs pending approval of the SEC, behind-the-scenes industry workings, and rumors.
ETF Zone
(http://www.etfzone.com/) An extremely convenient and quick way to get a scope on what’s available in the ETF world.
Index Universe
(http://www.indexuniverse.com/) See “News” under the Sections heading for the most up-to-date information on ETFs and index mutual funds. See the “Data” section to help screen for ETFs of your liking.
Morningstar
(http://www.morningstar.com/IntroPage.aspx) Click the ETF icon at the top of the screen. You can find thorough information on individual funds, along with 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.