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Lesson 1 of 4 · 4 min read

What is an ETF?

One purchase, hundreds of companies.

A basket of stocks

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) bundles many stocks into a single product that you trade like a share. Buy VWRL and you buy ~3,700 companies worldwide.

together = calmer
Diversification: two fluctuating investments together give a much calmer line than each on its own.

In practice

For the price of a single share (~€100), a world ETF gives you a tiny slice of Apple, Nestlé, Toyota, ASML and thousands of other companies all at once — instant diversification.

Passive tracking

Most ETFs simply track an index (like the S&P 500). No expensive fund manager trying to beat the market.

Top 124%Top 215%Top 39%Top 47%Other45%
An index is weighted. Its biggest holdings drive most of the move.

Remember this

  • An ETF bundles hundreds to thousands of stocks into a single tradable product.
  • With one purchase you get instant global diversification.
  • Most ETFs passively track an index — no expensive fund manager.
  • An ideal foundation for beginners: simple, broad and cheap.

There is a quiz for this lesson

2 questions that check whether it stuck. They live in the app, because a quiz nobody grades teaches nothing.

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What is an ETF?