Exchange traded funds (ETFs) can have a number of objectives for the investor, aside from the immediately obvious ones.

Beyond the goal of building wealth for the investor, ETFs have several other functions, suggests Peter Way for Forbes.

• Protection from general market adversity, such as with short and ultra short funds
• Ensuring liquid reserves
• Broadening geographic investment diversity, such as with single-country and regional funds
• Gaining access to alternative financial tools and markets, such as commodities and currencies

When you’re exploring ETFs and thinking about places to put your money, look around. Think about your goals and what you’re trying to achieve. Think about the markets, and learn to spot trends. Just because the markets are down doesn’t mean everything’s down – something is trending up. You just have to find it, and ETFs offer hundreds of options for the individual investor to do so.

Opening your eyes when it comes to ETFs could help you broaden your horizons and help you achieve your goals.

Tags: Commodity ETFs, Media