New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- Two friends decide to get fit. One hires a trainer who plans every set. The other just buys running shoes and jogs the same loop every morning, no trainer, no fuss. Both end up fit, just in very different ways.

That's kind of what ETF vs mutual funds comes down to. Mutual funds usually have someone managing things for you behind the scenes. ETFs mostly stick to a fixed path and don't wander off it. Neither is the wrong pick, it just depends on the kind of investor you are, which most people never really stop to figure out before putting money in anywhere.

The ETFs vs mutual funds in India conversation has gotten louder lately too, mostly because young investors want to know where their money should go instead of fo...