ETF knowledge

Everything worth knowing about ETFs before setting up a first savings plan – and afterwards. From the basics through costs, German partial exemption and advance lump-sum tax, to factor strategies and the fair criticism of the MSCI World.

• Distributing or accumulating ETFs? The differenceDistributing ETFs pay out dividends, accumulating ETFs reinvest them automatically. How the two differ in reinvestment, income and tax.
• Dividend ETFs: payouts and required capitalHow distributing ETFs generate regular payments, where the payout comes from and how large a portfolio must be for a given amount.
• ETF fees: TER and hidden costsWhat an ETF really costs: TER, spread, order fees and tracking difference – and what half a percentage point does over 30 years.
• ETF names decoded: what each part meansiShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) – every part of an ETF name explained.
• ETFs & tax in Germany: the essentialsTeilfreistellung, Vorabpauschale and the saver's allowance: how ETFs are taxed in Germany, explained clearly.
• ETFs for beginners: the five basic decisionsTime horizon, brokerage account, choice of index, savings plan or lump sum, and how to handle market declines: the five points that shape an ETF start.
• Factor ETFs: Value, Quality, Growth & Small CapBeyond the plain MSCI World: what value, quality, growth and small-cap factor ETFs actually hold, with live holdings.
• MSCI World criticism: how big is the US concentration?The MSCI World is criticized for its heavy US weighting. The current breakdown by country and sector, and which fund types change the weighting.
• Savings plan or lump sum: what historical data showsInvest a sum at once or spread it out? What historical comparisons show, where their limits are and how to run both in the calculator.
• Sector ETFs: a single industry in one fundSector ETFs bundle one industry – like consumer staples. What that means for diversification and volatility, with a live example.
• Small Cap Value: a factor premium with long dry spellsSmall and cheaply valued companies added return in historical studies, but not in every decade. The factor ETFs in the catalog with their holdings.
• The pension gap: calculating capital needs and withdrawalsHow much capital a given retirement budget requires and how long a portfolio lasts with regular withdrawals – with two calculators.
• The Rule of 72: estimating doubling timeA rule of thumb for compounding: 72 divided by the annual return gives roughly the years until a sum doubles – with its limits and the exact calculation.
• What are ETFs? Simply explainedAn ETF bundles many stocks into one fund that trades on an exchange like a single share. How ETFs work, what they cost and how to see what they hold.