Is it OK to hold ETF long-term?
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can serve a range of investment horizons, and they are flexible enough to be used for both short-term and long-term investment strategies. The choice of how long to stay invested in ETFs depends on your individual financial goals, risk tolerance, and investment strategy.
Nearly all leveraged ETFs come with a prominent warning in their prospectus: they are not designed for long-term holding. The combination of leverage, market volatility, and an unfavorable sequence of returns can lead to disastrous outcomes.
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.
Hold ETFs throughout your working life. Hold ETFs as long as you can, give compound interest time to work for you. Sell ETFs to fund your retirement. Don't sell ETFs during a market crash.
Leveraged ETFs decay due to the compounding effect of daily returns, volatility of the market and the cost of leverage. The volatility drag of leveraged ETFs means that losses in the ETF can be magnified over time and they are not suitable for long-term investments.
"Leveraged and inverse funds generally aren't meant to be held for longer than a day, and some types of leveraged and inverse ETFs tend to lose the majority of their value over time," Emily says.
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.
It's relatively simple: You add up all of your investments, and withdraw 4% of that total during your first year of retirement. In subsequent years, you adjust the dollar amount you withdraw to account for inflation.
If you buy substantially identical security within 30 days before or after a sale at a loss, you are subject to the wash sale rule. This prevents you from claiming the loss at this time.
For most standard, unleveraged ETFs that track an index, the maximum you can theoretically lose is the amount you invested, driving your investment value to zero. However, it's rare for broad-market ETFs to go to zero unless the entire market or sector it tracks collapses entirely.
What if I invested $1000 in S&P 500 10 years ago?
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in February 2014 would be worth $5,971.20, or a gain of 497.12%, as of February 5, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases. Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 178.17% and gold's return of 55.50% over the same time frame.
If you're looking for an easy solution to investing, ETFs can be an excellent choice. ETFs typically offer a diversified allocation to whatever you're investing in (stocks, bonds or both). You want to beat most investors, even the pros, with little effort.
Symbol | Name | 10 Year Total Returns (As of March 31, 2024) |
---|---|---|
PSI | Invesco Semiconductors ETF | 765.02% |
XSD | SPDR® S&P Semiconductor ETF | 610.79% |
XLK | Technology Select Sector SPDR® ETF | 554.92% |
IYW | iShares US Technology ETF | 542.45% |
How long should you hold onto an ETF? The stock market traditionally goes up over time. So, your chances of making money in the stock market are greater if you hold your investments. So, don't actively trade your stocks.
It's important to understand what is meant by “decay” in the context of leveraged ETFs. When we say that a leveraged ETF decays, we mean that its returns can diverge significantly from what we might expect based on the performance of the underlying index.
- Leveraged ETFs trade their shares in the open market like stocks.
- Leveraged ETFs amplify daily investor earnings and enable traders to generate returns and hedge them from potential losses.
- Leveraged ETFs mirror the returns of investors of an index with few tracking errors.
ETFs are subject to market fluctuation and the risks of their underlying investments. ETFs are subject to management fees and other expenses. Unlike mutual funds, ETF shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than their NAV, and are not individually redeemed from the fund.
ETFs may close due to lack of investor interest or poor returns. For investors, the easiest way to exit an ETF investment is to sell it on the open market. Liquidation of ETFs is strictly regulated; when an ETF closes, any remaining shareholders will receive a payout based on what they had invested in the ETF.
A leveraged ETF's price can theoretically go negative, but it's extremely rare and usually only happens in extreme market conditions. Leveraged ETFs use financial leverage to amplify the returns of an underlying asset, such as the S&P 500 Index.
Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.
How do millionaires live off interest?
Living off interest involves relying on what's known as passive income. This implies that your assets generate enough returns to cover your monthly income needs without the need for additional work or income sources. The ideal scenario is to use the interest and returns while preserving the core principal.
To generate $5,000 per month in dividends, you would need a portfolio value of approximately $1 million invested in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5%. For example, Johnson & Johnson stock currently yields 2.7% annually. $1 million invested would generate about $27,000 per year or $2,250 per month.
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.
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.
One simple rule of thumb I tend to adopt is going by the 4-3-2-1 ratios to budgeting. This ratio allocates 40% of your income towards expenses, 30% towards housing, 20% towards savings and investments and 10% towards insurance.
References
- https://www.barrons.com/articles/why-investors-are-pulling-money-from-vanguards-index-funds-51603390832
- https://www.independentvanguardadviser.com/dont-rush-for-the-exit/
- https://www.quora.com/I-have-most-of-my-money-in-Vanguard-Is-it-at-risk-if-Vanguard-goes-under
- https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/corporatesite/us/en/corp/articles/active-fixed-income-and-ownership-structure.html
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/invested-1000-p-global-decade-133005715.html
- https://www.trackinsight.com/en/education/how-many-etfs-should-you-own
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/living-off-interest-1-million-164122384.html
- https://support.zerodha.com/category/console/portfolio/holdings/articles/buy-average-holding-intraday
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/much-interest-earn-1-million-150000229.html
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/generating-income-with-etfs-what-you-need-to-know
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/stock-settlement-why-you-need-to-understand-t2-timeline
- https://www.blackrock.com/americas-offshore/en/education/etf/choosing-the-right-etf
- https://www.moneymanagement.com.au/news/funds-management/vanguard-slammed-climate-protesters-new-campaign
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/090115/7-best-etf-trading-strategies-beginners.asp
- https://onlinedegrees.unr.edu/blog/environmental-activism/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/4-3-2-1-approach-financial-freedom-royston-tan-%E9%99%88%E9%9F%A6%E9%BE%99-chfc-asep-ibfa-
- https://www.trackinsight.com/en/education/what-happens-if-etf-shuts-down
- https://www.benzinga.com/money/what-is-the-3-day-rule-in-stock-trading
- https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/insider-trading
- https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-trade-the-same-stock-multiple-times-in-one-day-for-profit
- https://curvo.eu/article/etf-risk
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/exchangetradedfunds/09/etf-out-of-business.asp
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/beyond-4-rule-how-much-can-you-spend-retirement
- https://www.betashares.com.au/education/etf-after-care-youve-invested-now-what/
- https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/investment-products/etf/risks-with-etfs
- https://ownyourfuture.vanguard.com/content/en/learn/financial-planning/what-should-i-do-if-the-markets-drop.html
- https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/vanguard-money-market-financial-crisis-investor-loss-20190218.html
- https://www.etf.com/sections/etf-basics/why-do-leveraged-etfs-decay
- https://www.icicidirect.com/idirectcontent/Home/StaticData/WeOfferETFUnderstanding.html
- https://www.motilaloswal.com/blog-details/is-it-possible-to-sell-a-stock-for-a-profit-and-then-buy-it-back/20239
- https://fortune.com/recommends/investing/investing-during-a-recession/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/exchangetradedfunds/08/etf-taxes-introduction.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/exchangetradedfunds/11/advantages-disadvantages-etfs.asp
- https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/retirement/planning-reach-your-goal
- https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/need-help/answer/how-do-i-make-a-withdrawal
- https://bullishbears.com/how-much-do-day-traders-make/
- https://investor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/vanguard-cash-plus-account
- https://www.etf.com/sections/etf-basics/managing-avoiding-etf-closures
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/etf.asp
- https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/etfs-2023-tale-success-failure
- https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/etfs/sp500-cheap-etf-pays-off-more-than-everything-else-long-term/
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/buying-stocks/vanguard-vs-charles-schwab/
- https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/604947/stocks-and-wash-sale-rule
- https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/investment-products/etf/drawbacks-of-etfs
- https://get.ycharts.com/resources/blog/the-10-best-performing-etfs-in-the-last-10-years-ycharts-analysis/
- https://medium.com/@Levente22/7-proven-ways-to-make-5-000-9-000-per-month-in-passive-income-1aafbf025154
- https://www.quora.com/Will-the-price-of-a-leveraged-ETF-ever-go-negative-What-happens-if-I-invest-100-into-a-3X-leveraged-S-P-500-ETF-over-a-period-of-time-that-sees-a-40-drop-in-value-of-the-S-P-500-Index
- https://www.etf.com/etf-education-center/etf-basics/why-do-leveraged-etfs-decay
- https://www.wealthprofessional.ca/news/industry-news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-etf-investing/359804
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/020916/etfs-can-be-safe-investments-if-used-correctly.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/insidertrading.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/vanguard-vs-fidelity-4587961
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/102815/can-you-buy-vanguard-funds-through-another-brokerage.asp
- https://www.bankrate.com/investing/wash-sale-rule/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/09/buying-stock-or-etf.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0113/7-easy-to-understand-etfs-to-replace-a-savings-account.aspx
- https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/taxes/how-mutual-funds-etfs-are-taxed
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/washsale.asp
- https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/best-vanguard-funds-to-buy-and-hold
- https://advisors.vanguard.com/assets/corp/fund_communications/pdf_publish/us-products/investment-profiles/0710.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vanguard_Group
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/vanguard-brokerage-review/
- https://www.titan.com/articles/can-you-buy-and-sell-stock-the-same-day
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/openingprice.asp
- https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-files-taxes-wash-sales-goldman-sachs
- https://www.firstrepublic.com/-/media/frb/documents/pdfs/pwm/brokerage/cash-trading-disclosures.pdf
- https://www.thestreet.com/etffocus/trade-ideas/the-only-leveraged-etf-that-i-would-buy-hold-long-term
- https://www.cnbc.com/select/what-are-etfs-should-you-invest/
- https://poe.com/poeknowledge/1512928000358234
- https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/best-etfs-to-buy
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/mutualfund/05/etfindexfund.asp
- https://www.schwab.com/etfs/understand-etfs
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/etfs-and-taxes-what-you-need-to-know
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/high-dividend-etfs
- https://www.stockbrokers.com/review/vanguard
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/120415/how-dividendpaying-etfs-work.asp
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/buying-stocks/articles/heres-what-happens-when-you-only-invest-in-sp-500-etfs/
- https://centerpointsecurities.com/understanding-the-pattern-day-trading-rule/
- https://www.getsmarteraboutmoney.ca/learning-path/etfs/how-exchange-traded-funds-etfs-work/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/052216/4-benefits-holding-stocks-long-term.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/mutualfund/07/etf_downside.asp
- https://www.quora.com/How-many-times-can-you-buy-stock
- https://www.stockbrokers.com/compare/charlesschwab-vs-vanguard
- https://www.rbcgam.com/en/ca/learn-plan/types-of-investments/how-to-purchase-and-sell-your-etfs/detail
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/primer-on-wash-sales
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/111115/5-reasons-choose-mutual-funds-over-etfs.asp
- https://www.motilaloswal.com/blog-details/how-often-can-you-buy-and-sell-the-same-stock/20217
- https://www.bankrate.com/investing/stocks-vs-etfs/
- https://www.canstar.com.au/investor-hub/buy-sell-hold-etfs/
- https://www.poems.com.sg/glossary/trading-terms/trade-sizing/
- https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/investment-products/etf/tax-rules-for-losses-etfs
- https://www.titan.com/articles/etf-drawbacks
- https://brokerchooser.com/broker-reviews/vanguard-review/how-to-withdraw-on-vanguard
- https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/personal-finance/wash-sales-rules-tax
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-leveraged-etf-decay-risk-volatility.html
- https://time.com/personal-finance/article/stocks-vs-etfs/
- https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/04/20/why-i-keep-buying-this-ultra-high-yielding-etf-for/
- https://www.tradersmastermind.com/what-is-the-11am-rule/
- https://advisors.vanguard.com/investments/mutual-funds
- https://whitetopinvestor.com/stock-holding-size-matters/
- https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/need-help/answer/what-happens-to-my-money-if-vanguard-become-insolvent
- https://investor.vanguard.com/about-us/why-vanguard
- https://www.etfcentral.com/etf-u/guides/how-many-etfs-should-i-own
- https://www.dummies.com/article/business-careers-money/personal-finance/investing/investment-vehicles/funds/exchange-traded-funds-for-dummies-cheat-sheet-208448/
- https://www.investmentfundlawblog.com/resources/investments-by-funds/investments-investment-companies/
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/what-happens-if-your-etf-closes
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/how-to-invest-in-etf-exchange-traded-fund
- https://etfdb.com/compare/highest-5-year-returns/
- https://s2analytics.com/blog/the-fifteen-minute-rule-lessons-in-technical-trading/