Invesco QQQ ETF costs more than its cheaper clone QQQM despite identical holdings.

Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) recently reclassified to an open-end ETF, lowering its expense ratio from 0.20% to 0.18%. However, Invesco's near-identical fund, QQQM, charges a lower fee of 0.15%, making it a cheaper alternative for the same Nasdaq-100 index exposure. Over time, this fee difference can cost investors hundreds of dollars per $10,000 invested due to compounding returns. QQQ also had structural limitations as a unit investment trust that prevented reinvestment of dividends and securities lending, which QQQM does not have. While QQQ offers deeper liquidity and a robust options market, long-term buy-and-hold investors may benefit more from the lower-cost QQQM or other cheaper tech-focused ETFs like Vanguard's VGT.