The Definitive Guide To Equity Index Investing
PART 1 - INTRODUCTION
This guide is Bankeronwheels.com’s deep dive into Equity Index Investing.
We approach Equity Index Investing by:
- Showing investors what matters when thinking about different asset classes
- Shortlisting the very best ETFs as a starting point for their analysis
Why Is Our Guide Different?
First, We design Selection Frameworks
For each type of investment and geography, based on Academia and our Portfolio Management experience, we first design a dedicated framework for ETF selection. Our guides are:
- Simple when possible
- Tailored to your needs
- Tax-Efficient with respect to dividends
- Sustainable when desired and intellectually honest
Then, We Select The Best Equity ETFs
We then use these frameworks to select the very best UCITS and non-UCITS ETFs. We take a Long-Term Investor’s Perspective and select ETFs that satisfy our criteria:
- Reputable
- Large
- Established
- Cheap
- Available and Liquid
Click below to jump straight to the shortlist.
Finally, We Consider All Audiences
This guide can benefit Bankeronwheels.com’s three core audiences. We highlight what sections you may find particularly helpful, depending on your profile:
The Golden Retriever, aka Wise Passive Investor – A hands-off Investor, typically using a Global ETF, may benefit from understanding why sticking with a simple, yet effective strategy is time and tax-efficient. We also cover the European and UK equivalents of popular US Vanguard Index Funds.
The Banker, aka Evidence-Based Investor – For Advanced Investors, this guide offers an introduction into why it may not be fully effective to include all small caps Stocks, given the evidence of small cap value factor premium. An Equity Risk Factor investing guide, that we will create, will further expand on this guide.
The Golden Retriever, aka Wise Passive Investor – A hands-off Investor, typically using a Global ETF, may benefit from understanding why sticking with a simple, yet effective strategy is time and tax-efficient. We also cover the European and UK equivalents of popular US Vanguard Index Funds.
The Cyclist, aka Semi-Passive DIY Investor – A DIY Investor willing to customise her portfolio can probably benefit the most from guides. Understanding how to control allocation to countries and company sizes, incorporate tax-efficient synthetic ETFs for certain markets like the U.S. or select ethical value screens can make your portfolio more efficient and personalised.
The Banker, aka Evidence-Based Investor – For Advanced Investors, this guide offers an introduction into why it may not be fully effective to include all small caps Stocks, given the evidence of small cap value factor premium. An Equity Risk Factor investing guide, that we will create, will further expand on this guide.
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Get Wise The Most Relevant Independent Weekly Insights For Individual Investors
If you’ve enjoyed our high-quality guides, you will love Europe’s best Wise Investing newsletter even more. Join tens of thousands of individual investors who trust us.
☕ Every Saturday morning with your coffee, enjoy FREE:
✅ Investing guides & tools
✅ Curated insights on investing strategies, ETFs, brokers, early retirement & lifestyle
✅ Exclusive articles crafted for wise investors like you
📩 Bonus: FREE Portfolio Checklist! Sign up today and receive a FREE 2-page checklist to:
- Build & monitor an efficient portfolio
- Clean up your personal finances.
🔒 We respect your privacy and never spam. Try it. Feel free to unsubscribe at any time.
What's in thIS Guide?
To Access Article click on a title below:
You are reading this introduction.
This article is golden-retriever (beginner) friendly.
What if you could only buy one single investment? When you speak to people that have been in the investment business for a long time and ask them the above question, the answer often is a Global Equity ETF.
This article is golden-retriever (beginner) friendly. It is one of the 3 highlights of the series.
Most investors starting out would be confused to learn that, for example, investing into a MSCI World ETF wouldn’t get them a Global exposure. International ETFs can be confusing due to different naming conventions. By understanding how markets are defined, you can control the allocation to them in your portfolio.
This article is one of the 3 highlights of the series.
ETFs tracking the MSCI World Index are investor favorites, right after the S&P 500. In Europe, the sheer number of options can be overwhelming. Amundi, after acquiring Lyxor last year, has been reorganizing and renaming its ETF range, adding to the confusion. Despite their efforts to streamline hundreds of ETFs, Amundi still offers five different ones that track the MSCI World Index. Let’s clear up the confusion and simplify your choices.
Some of our readers like to implement tilts towards markets that are cheaper, for example in Europe or Asia. If implementing a tilt can make overall valuations more bearable for some investors so that they can stick to their strategy in the long run, it may be a sin worth pursuing.
7. Best Emerging markets etfs
Coming Soon!
Some of non-US Investors may have special residency and tax circumstances that allow them to directly invest via US-domiciled ETFs instead of UCITS ETFs. This typically doesn’t apply to the vast majority of European Investors except Switzerland. Let’s look at the best ETFs available.
Summary of Best ETFs across all categories of Equities.
This article is golden-retriever (beginner) friendly.
Good Luck and Keep’em* Rolling!
(* Wheels & Dividends)
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Bond ETFs in 2026: Expected Returns After the Biggest Selloff in Modern History
Our Unmissable TOP 10 in 2025 – Did You Catch Them All?
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