Exchange-traded funds offer a convenient way to invest in sectors or niches that interest you. If you're looking for a significant income stream from your portfolio, the Guggenheim Multi-Asset Income ETF
The basics
ETFs often sport lower expense ratios than their mutual fund cousins. The Guggenheim ETF's expense ratio -- its annual fee -- is 78%. That's higher than many ETFs, but lower than a typical stock mutual fund.
This ETF has performed rather well, outperforming the S&P 500 over the past three and five years, even though it contains assets other than stocks, which tend to grow more slowly. (It's still mostly in stocks, though, with about 71% of assets in U.S. stocks and 17% in foreign ones.) As with most investments, of course, we can't expect outstanding performances in every quarter or year. Investors with conviction need to wait for their holdings to deliver.
What's in it?
Plenty of income-generating stocks had strong performances over the past year. Hard-drive titan Seagate Technology
Terra Nitrogen
Other companies didn't do as well last year, but they could see their fortunes change in the coming years. Canadian oil and gas exploration and development company Enerplus
Oil pipeline and storage specialist Buckeye Partners LP
The big picture
A well-chosen ETF can grant you instant diversification across any industry or group of companies -- and make investing in and profiting from them that much easier.
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