In the ETF industry, we talk endlessly about innovation

Smart beta. Active non-transparent wrappers. The next evolution in exposure or structure. We’re constantly scanning the horizon for anything that might give us an edge.

We spend big, sometimes $50,000 or more, on conference booths, splashy sponsorships, flashy dinners, and promotional campaigns that aim to position us as thought leaders or attract that next big allocator. But when it comes to the one investment that compounds value more than anything else, our people, we tighten the purse strings.

It’s a strange paradox. On investor decks and in company handbooks, we say things like “our people are our most valuable asset.” But come budget season, that asset suddenly gets treated like a liability. Training gets cut. Career development stalls. The learning budget becomes an afterthought, if it’s there at all. And yet, this is where the real alpha lives.

The Data Doesn’t Lie

The numbers are clear and uncomfortable. ETFcareer.com’s 2025 Salary & Sentiment Survey brought the truth into focus:

• 59% of ETF professionals said their training and development needs are not being met.
• Only 5% rated their company’s support for career growth as “extremely good.”
• 64% said they’d be more likely to stay if their firm offered personalized training and upskilling opportunities.

These aren’t complaints from the disengaged. These are the voices of people who want to grow and contribute: people who are already inside your firm, who know your clients, your products, your story. And they’re telling us loud and clear: they’re not being invested in.

For an industry obsessed with data-driven decision-making, this is a gaping blind spot. We analyze flows to the decimal point. We run Monte Carlo simulations. We dissect tracking error. But we rarely measure the cost of losing great talent, or the cost of keeping talent that’s slowly checking out.

The Value Gap

Why does this gap exist? Why are we so willing to spend six figures on a rebrand or a tech integration, but hesitant to invest a fraction of that in the professional growth of our teams?

Part of it is mindset. Many firms still treat training as a checkbox. Something reactive. Something to do when someone’s underperforming, or when HR sends a reminder. But development isn’t remedial. It’s strategic.

We’re also conditioned to think in quarters. Hiring a speaker for a one-off workshop might fit into that framework. But meaningful development: mentorship, skills training, career mapping. That requires long-term thinking. It doesn’t show up in next month’s numbers, but over time, the compounding effect is massive.

And that’s the irony. We split hairs over basis points. We debate ETF construction methodologies and argue over the nuance of ESG screens. Yet we overlook the highest-yield investment opportunity sitting right in front of us: the human beings already inside our organization.

Training as a Competitive Edge

Let’s be real: this isn’t just about retention. Although in today’s market, keeping your best people is harder, and more important than ever. Yes, upskilling helps people stay. But more importantly, it helps them thrive. When you invest in your team, you unlock sharper thinking, better execution, and a stronger culture. You create a workplace that doesn’t just retain talent, but attracts it.

Think of your product pipeline. Your operations team. Your client success function. These don’t run on software alone. They run on people. And when those people are equipped, empowered, and engaged, your firm performs better. Full stop.
Professional development isn’t a line item. It’s a multiplier.

What If We Treated Talent Like Product?

ETF firms obsess over product strategy, and rightly so. We map white space, analyze competitor launches, stress-test our designs. What if we brought that same level of rigor and creativity to the people powering our businesses?

Imagine:

• Personalized training tracks tailored to each role. Not generic webinars, but real, relevant development.
• Clear career paths with milestones and guidance so employees can see a future with you. Not just a job, but a journey.
• Internal mobility programs that help people grow horizontally as well as vertically, building loyalty and institutional knowledge.
• Mentorship that isn’t just a volunteer side gig but a structured part of your culture, embedded in how you onboard, evaluate, and grow your people.

These aren’t perks. They’re smart business. In fact, in five years, they’ll be table stakes.

The next generation of talent isn’t looking for ping-pong tables or unlimited LaCroix. They’re looking for meaning, growth, and a sense that their time is being well spent. And they’ll walk for it.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

What’s the real cost of not investing in development? It’s the cost of losing a high-potential associate who felt invisible. It’s the manager who stagnates and starts phoning it in. It’s the culture that starts to erode when people stop believing that effort leads to opportunity.

When people leave, they don’t just walk out with a box of desk plants. They take knowledge, relationships, and trust with them. They take your training investment, however minimal it was, and bring it to a competitor.

Worse, when someone leaves and no one inside the firm is ready to step up, you end up paying a recruiter, onboarding someone new, and praying they work out. That’s not efficient. That’s expensive.

The Alpha Is Already Inside

Here’s the truth: you’re already sitting on a goldmine. The next great marketing idea, the next standout product, the next operational breakthrough: it might not come from a consultant or a keynote speaker. It might come from the person down the hall. The analyst you hired two years ago. The junior marketer who’s been quietly leveling up after hours. The client service rep who understands your audience better than any white paper.

But only if you give them the tools. Only if you make the investment.
So before you greenlight that next fund launch, or renew that pricey media campaign, take a step back and ask: Are we investing where it really counts?
Because the most radical thing you can do in an industry driven by margins and math might be the most human thing of all: bet on your people. That’s where the alpha lives.

Ready to See Where You Stand?

Check out the latest key findings from our 2025 Global ETF Salary Survey to benchmark your worth and power up your next negotiation. The trends are clear. And the opportunity? It’s yours, if you ask.