ETF's were first created in Toronto, Canada in 1990, when the Toronto Stock Exchange created the TIP (Toronto Index Participation Unit) to allow institutions to trade a basket of stocks listed on that exchange.  

Since then, there are dozens of ETF's available that cover foreign markets, currencies, metals, sectors, industries, real estate, and the list is growing each day as their popularity grows.  And why does their popularity grow?  

Look at the following benefits:

Diversification

Smoother Trends

Lower Cost

Greater Tax Efficiency

Better Tax Management

Easier Asset Allocation

Lower Volatility

Easier Portfolio Rebalancing

No Fraud

Ability To Short

No Sales Load

Can Be Traded With Options

Trading/investing in ETF's in today's trading environment can help you accomplish two things:  Make consistent gains and avoid wild price swings from volatility.

In this column, you will begin to understand the global reach that ETF's offer to the smart trader/investor as the benefits of ETF trading/investing are broken down and examined in detail so that you will have a definite edge to profit again and again within this market.