We all knew it would happen eventually. A recent survey from the Financial Planning Association finds that Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) now surpass mutual funds in popularity.
“The 2015 Trends in Investing Survey” marks the first time since the survey was first completed in 2006 that ETFs have assumed the role of preferred investment vehicle among advisers, with 81 percent of financial advisers surveyed currently using or recommending ETFs with their clients—the most popular investment vehicle among 17 options. Seventy-eight percent of advisers surveyed currently use or recommend mutual funds (non-wrap) with clients.
The survey has also shown continued growth in the popularity of ETFs since 2006, when just 40 percent of survey participants indicated they used or recommended ETFs. This percentage grew to 44 percent in 2008, to 79 percent in 2014, and to 81 percent in 2015.
It also indicated that 51 percent of advisers plan to increase their use or recommendation of ETFs with clients over the next 12 months. No other investment vehicle showed this level of anticipated increased usage. For example, 23 percent of respondents plan to increase their use of mutual fund wrap programs, and 22 percent plan to increase their use of individual stocks.
“ETFs continue to grow in popularity among advisers and investors thanks to their traditional cost effectiveness, tax efficiency, transparency, flexibility and liquidity; however, the ETF landscape has become increasingly complex in recent years,” says FPA Practice Management Director Valerie Chaillé, CFP, who is also president of SummitView Financial in Indianapolis, Ind. “It’s important for advisers to ensure they fully understand the nuances of the ETFs they’re recommending and that their clients understand what they’re investing in, as well as the cost and potential risks involved.”
Although the concept of smart beta has gotten a lot of media attention recently, survey results indicate that only 22 percent of advisors have used smart beta ETFs with clients in the last 12 months. When asked how their use/recommendation of smart beta ETFs has changed over the last 12 months, 14 percent of advisors surveyed said it has increased.
Other key survey findings:
- The 2015 Trends in Investing Survey also showed that advisers continue to be moving away from annuities, with 38 percent currently using/recommending variable annuities, compared 41 percent last year, and a high of 58 percent in both 2006 and 2008.
- Advisers have been recently (over the past three-months) re-evaluating asset allocations due to anticipated/existing income and investing tax legislation; 24 percent and 28 percent, respectively.
- Although the majority of advisers (61 percent) believe a blend of active and passive management provides the best overall investment performance (taking into account costs associated with each style), more advisers are likely to have increased their use of passively managed funds over the last year (24 percent), then actively managed funds (15 percent).
- The survey also showed that advisers maintain a positive long-term economic outlook, with 51 percent “bullish” for the next five years, compared to just 41 percent who are “bullish” over the next six months.
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.
