What do The Wire, director Ed Wood, the brilliant band Wilco and exchange traded funds (ETFs) have in common? They’ve all got cult followings.

That is: all of the above are not fully ingrained in the mainstream, and they’ve got a relatively small but fanatical legion of followers. Some people are so excited about ETFs, in fact, that they become almost evangelical about it, reports Matthew Craig for Financial News.

Many ETF fanatics just don’t see why anyone would pass up what they offer: tax advantages, transparency, trading like stocks, low cost and instant diversification, among other things. ETFs are exciting to those in the know, and they can’t help but wax poetic about them.

Luckily, while they’ve got a long way to go before they catch up with the assets in mutual funds, ETFs are increasing their market share in the United States and around the world at a rapid clip. The Middle East wants them, Japan is adding more and investors in China have embraced them.

As the market continues to grow, it’s only going to get better as investors have more choices and the competition for low fees intensifies.

Don’t be surprised if you get cornered at a party by someone who wants to talk ETFs. And you would do well to listen!

Tags: Corn