At that time, I told my audience that smart-beta ETF assets had grown an astonishing 43 during the first nine months of 2013 versus 16 growth in total ETF assets. I also wrote that these funds had attracted $45 billion in new investment during 2013.

Fast forward 18 months, and smart-beta ETFs remain all the rage in the investment world, proving that in terms of marketplace popularity — “smarter” truly is better.