People who are saving toward retirement have increased allocation to equities to squeeze out returns in a low-yield environment, but this has opened many to greater risks.
Nevertheless, ETF investors saving toward retirement may still maintain their equity exposure but they should also consider some other options as well.
In a prolonged equity market rally, valuations are beginning to look pricey. Consequently, some financial advisors and strategists advise investors to look to more stodgy company stocks with more staying power.
“Investors who want to preserve and grow capital patiently don’t need to hit home runs,” Scott Clemons, chief investment strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman, told the Wall Street Journal.
Dennis Notchick, an adviser at Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, argued investors should consider companies with strong cash flows that boost dividends provide a good buffer in a rising rate environment ahead.
For instance, investors can look to options like the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEArca: VIG), iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSEArca: DGRO), Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEArca: SCHD), SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (NYSEArca: SDY), ProShares S&P 500 Aristocrats ETF (NYSEArca: NOBL) and WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund (NasdaqGM: DGRW).
In case market sentiment shifts, investors should not be too focused on any single segment of the market. Michael Macke, president of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Petros Advisory Services, warned that savers should not lean too heavily on any single sector or asset class since a broad portfolio “should give you the highest odds of growing and protecting your wealth in retirement.”
Consequently, investors can gain broad equity market exposure through total market ETF options, such as the iShares Core S&P Total US Stock Market ETF (NYSEArca: ITOT) and the Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF (NYSEArca: SCHB).
In a rising rate environment, some sectors may act differently from the rest. Alternatively, Todd Rosenbluth, director of ETF and Mutual Fund Research at CFRA, pointed to the PowerShares S&P 500 ex-Rate Sensitive Low Volatility Portfolio (NYSEArca: XRLV) and Fidelity Dividend ETF for Rising Rates (NYSEArca: FDRR) as ways to target companies that are less negatively correlated to rising interest rates.
For more information on the fixed income markets, visit our bond ETFs category.