Know the Providers Before Shopping for an ETF

As assets in U.S. exchange-traded funds hit a record of more than $700 billion last year, ETF providers are sprouting faster than you can say ETF boom. Indeed, there are now nearly 30.

BlackRock's (BLK) iShares wears the crown as largest ETF provider in the U.S. with $360 billion in assets, followed by State Street (STT) and Vanguard, but new players have emerged like Charles Schwab (SCHW) and PIMCO. Others have announced plans to get in on the game, too, such as T. Rowe Price (TROW), Putnam, TD Ameritrade (AMTD) and Goldman Sachs (GS).