
<p>Exchange-traded funds hold more than $14 trillion in assets and have become the default way millions of people invest. But if you're just getting started, one question comes first: how do ETFs actually work? This complete beginner's guide breaks it down in plain English — what an ETF is, the clever mechanism that lets it trade like a stock while holding hundreds of them, what it costs, how it compares to stocks and mutual funds, and how to buy your first one.</p>
