For years, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds have been cast as an either/or decision for investors. Mutual funds are expensive, stodgy, yesterday’s news. ETFs are cheap, flashy, hip to the future.
The real differences between these fund cousins, however, aren’t as stark. Yes, unlike mutual funds, ETFs trade on an exchange all throughout the day. But beyond that, ETFs are just mutual funds with a few extra features.