It’s sometimes easy to feel like the ETF industry is at a developed, mature stage. The vehicle has been around since the early 90’s for investors to use and has topped over $3 trillion in AUM, with 2015 being another record-setting year in a line of them.
However, when you step back and take a broader view that includes shifting demographics, its clear that the ETF industry is actually still in a nascent stage. Charles Schwab has been at the forefront in the ETF space of identifying the potential for significant growth and doing extensive research into quantifying exactly how huge that could be.
Tom recently talked to Heather Fischer, VP of the ETF Platform Management for Schwab, about what they’ve discovered – and its staggering. Investors have shown them in annual surveys a consistently increasing preference for ETFs, as a broad-based sample said 34% plan on using them as core products in their portfolios. The real power in that 34% though comes when you juxtapose it with how many millennials said they see ETFs as a core part of their investment strategy. Nearly 70%. Millennials are on the precipice of becoming the generation with the greatest earning power and share of wealth so naturally its shaping the way the industry is doing business.
Check out their conversation below to learn about other shocking trends that they’ve pinpointed and how they’re innovating ways for investors to grow their portfolios in a changing world.