Digging into the basics of exchange-traded funds, including what they are, how they work, their benefits, how to get started, and more ...

ETFs are structured differently. When demand for an ETF rises or falls, the issuer works with authorized participants who create or redeem shares using baskets of underlying securities, not cash.

If you're trying to choose between ETFs and mutual funds, some factors to help you decide are how you trade and the type of account you plan to use.