I have been trying to understand the options available for the index based investments that include index based mutual funds or exchange traded funds. In principle, I am fan of exchange traded funds because (a) they follow a given index; (b) no manager involvement; and (c) low cost structure. Index based fund investments are very good vehicle if an individual wants to avoid stock selection and just wants to follow the index performance. In general, for last 10 years, the NIFTY index has returned an average of 15.5% per year. This return excludes the dividend payments.
The objective for my investment in ETF index fund is to follow the index performance. It will also act as a benchmark for my long term investments. I invest in individual stocks for long term wealth generation hoping to exceed the market performance. At a very minimum level, I would like my long term portfolio to beat the market by some percentage points. If I cannot do that, then it would make sense for me to close my long term portfolio, and invest all my money in index funds.
