ETFs and Mutual funds are similar, but ETFs are traded pretty much the same way a stock is, i.e. - shares. So if you like the concept of stock trading, ETFs are a natural alternative.
With a mutual fund, you buy and sell based on dollars, not market price or shares. And you can specify any dollar amount you want—down to the penny or as a nice round figure, like $3,000. With an ETF, you buy and sell based on market price—and you can only trade full shares.
No claim as to the relevance or monetary value of the information is made herein. Any opinion stated is my own, and should not be used for investment purposes. No preference of any particular derivative is implied, in spite of wording thereof