VXX has a 0.89 expense ratio, nearly 10 times the 0.09 percent charge by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF ( SPY), the exchange-traded fund tracking the S&P 500. ETNs can be tricky at tax time, because many involve a Schedule K-1 to report partnership income that is unfamiliar to investors accustomed to 1099s, Feldman says. An exchange-traded note is a senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt security issued by an underwriting bank. Similar to other debt securities, ETNs have a maturity date and are backed only by the credit of the issuer. ETNs are designed to provide investors access to the returns of various market benchmarks. The returns of ETNs are usually linked to the performance of a market benchmark or strategy, less investor fees. When an investor buys an ETN, the underwriting bank promises to pay the amount The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to inform investors of features – and some potential risks – of structured notes. While structured notes may enable individual retail investors to participate in investment strategies that are not typically offered to them, these products can be very complex and have significant investment risks.