How to research an ETF

The eight questions to answer before you understand any fund.

1) What does it own? Read the top-10 holdings and sector/country weights — the name can mislead. 2) What determines the portfolio — which index, or whose judgment? 3) What does it cost, including spread, not just the expense ratio? 4) How big and how old is it? Tiny, young funds close often (an orderly but annoying event).

5) How has it behaved — not just the return, but drawdowns and volatility versus its benchmark? 6) What does it pay out, and is the yield figure trailing, SEC, or annualized-last-payment? 7) Is the structure plain (physical stocks/bonds) or complex (futures, swaps, daily leverage, options)? 8) Who runs it, and what do they disclose?

Every ETF page on this site is organized around those questions, with as-of dates on each dataset — and links to the issuer's official documents, which are always the final authority.