There is guessing, there are screening programs, and there are advisors. As you can imagine, looking at the list of over 900 ETFs can give you a big headache.

Fortunately, there are screening programs that can help you sort through the mess by giving you many criteria by which to search. You can narrow down the choices to a point where the research about each ETF will become manageable.

In the process you will have to determine what is important to you, and what need you’re trying to fill in your portfolio. It can certainly help to bring that information to a financial professional that can help you choose the right ETFs for your situation.

If you're worried about the consulting costs, think about the fact that one uneducated mistake in the market can incur much greater costs, and that a succession of small mistakes can add up to a large opportunity cost where an advisor could have helped you make a lot more money.

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