Exchange-traded funds are hot everywhere but workplace retirement plans

Low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETF) are a favorite of individual investors. ETF assets reached $2.9 trillion in 2017, up 32 percent in the last year, according to Investment Company Institute, a trade group.

So why are so few ETFs offered in workplace retirement plans?

Of the $5 trillion in assets in company-sponsored 401(k) plans, two-thirds are held in mutual funds, the ICI said. ETF assets, meanwhile, are a mere fraction of the pool left over, with the exact percentage not tracked publicly.

Among retail investors, ETFs are favored for tax efficiency, intraday trading and cheap fees. There are more than 2,000 varieties available in the U.S., ranging from plain-vanilla S&P indexes to niche offerings.

In a tax-advantaged 401(k) plan, where investors are in it for the long-haul, those advantages matter less. Many retirement investors do not understand the differences between ETFs and mutual funds.

Research shows that investors do better in managed accounts, said Steve Anderson, president of Schwab Retirement Plan Services.

Most managed target-date funds, which are geared toward a particular retirement date, are mutual funds.

ETF shares are also sold whole. But investors usually buy fractional mutual fund shares in a retirement plan, which are better for handling the random-dollar, bimonthly contributions most employees make to retirement accounts.

Dan Egan, director of behavioral finance at the online investment company Betterment, said that one thing that is stopping other providers from switching from mutual funds to ETFs is how they are paid — partly by commissions from mutual fund companies.

But it is possible to invest in ETFs in your 401(k), and some providers have forged ahead in the last five years.

Vanguard has an offering through its Vanguard Retirement Plan Access, which is for small businesses. Charles Schwab has been offering an all-ETF product called Index Advantage since 2012. At Betterment, the ETF options come in the Betterment for Business 401(k), which now has a waitlist for small companies wishing to add the platform.

If your company does not offer ETF options and you want them, see if your plan offers a brokerage window within the 401(k). That would allow the participant to trade whatever they want.