How to Money · Friday, October 2, 2026
Joel highlights the growing number of increasingly niche and sometimes 'silly' Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), such as those tracking election results or hockey stats. He and Matt question the investment rationale behind these funds, suggesting they cater to a desire for gambling rather than sound financial strategy, contrasting them with basic, proven options like the S&P 500.
“One that tracks election results, one that tracks hockey stats, and then trades based on that.”
“There are more ETFs, exchange-traded funds, that you can purchase than there are individual stocks? but they continue to get weirder and weirder. And I'm shocked even that some of these ETFs are a thing.”
“There's a part of me that wonders who is falling for this or why is there this much interest? And I don't know, like I've got zero, there's zero part of me that's at all interested in this. And I wonder too, if it's just the, like the older I get, Joel, is this wisdom? Like when you have some life experience and you just see something as boring and basic and proven as the S&P 500, why would you mess with an ETF that tracks election results unless you're just looking to insert some of that gambling atmosphere into your portfolio?”