An ETF trades exactly like a stock does on the trading exchange, expect that the investment is made into a portfolio of securities. There could be as little as 20 or 30 different stocks within the ETF, or even hundreds. Right off the bat, a key advantage is that the investment is diversified among different stocks and sectors. Before investing in ETFs look for: 1) Percentage holdings in the ETF 2) History of dividend payment 3) MER Some of the <a href="https://www.incomeinvestors.com/top-10-dividend-etfs-invest-2017/14805/">best dividend ETFs</a> for 2017 are: Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF with 2.31% yield iShares Select Dividend ETF with 3.73% yield iShares Core High Dividend ETF with 3.43% yield Any more inputs?