Are You Making These 3 ETF Mistakes That Cost You 50% in Gains?

2025-10-13 04:45:00 ET

If you are looking for the best exchange-traded funds to buy , step back for a second and think big picture instead. Long-term investing requires a plan and shouldn't be handled with off-the-cuff decisions. Here are three things you need to think about before you buy an ETF. Not giving these issues due consideration could be costing you big gains.

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The first exchange-traded fund ever created was the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY) . It tracks the S&P 500 index, as its name implies. There's an alternative from Vanguard that does the exact same thing, called Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) . Since both of these ETFs do the same thing, they are interchangeable, right? Nope.

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