ALCZX vs SPMAX Fund Comparison

A comparison between ALCZX and SPMAX based on their expense ratio, growth, holdings and how well they match their benchmark performance.

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Minafi's Take on ALCZX vs SPMAX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Alger International Focus Fund Class Z ($ALCZX) and Saratoga Mid Capitalization Portfolio Fund Class A ($SPMAX).

To start off, here's a look at the basics of each fund. Keep an eye on the FI Score. That's a custom score from 0 to 100 that we generate based on how good this fund is for the casual investor. Most investors only need a handful of total funds in their portfolio. The higher the score, the more likely this is one of those few. Score alone isn't enough! Keep reading on to see how different (or perhaps similar) these two funds are.

38% FI Score
  • alczx
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Large Growth

Alger International Focus Fund Class Z

Expenses: 0.89% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Large Growth International Stocks fund. See why »

11% FI Score
  • spmax
  • Mutual Fund
  • US Stocks
  • Mid-Cap Blend

Saratoga Mid Capitalization Portfolio Fund Class A

Expenses: 1.71% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Mid-Cap Blend US Stocks fund. See why »

Both $ALCZX and $SPMAX are categorized as Mutual Funds. Mutual funds are often offered by 401(k) platforms and are essentially the same as ETFs. Mutual funds are generally offered by an investment platform – Fidelity has Fidelity mutual funds, Vanguard has Vanguard mutual funds. Mutual funds are ideal for retirement investing since you can invest any amount. That allows you to invest every last cent and benefit from the market.

The biggest disadvantage of mutual funds is that you're usually limited to the funds on your investment platform. If you're investing on Fidelity, you'll want to pick Fidelity mutual funds (or any ETF). Same with Vanguard. Some platforms offer mutual funds from other platforms, but they may charge a purchse or redemption fee. I'd recommend using the same platform as your funds – or stick to ETFs.

To learn more about the difference between these two, you can read about the difference between ETFs and Mutual Funds.

When evaluating a fund, the first things I look at are:

  • What it invests in
  • How much it charges in fees
  • How large the fund is

Let's look into these criteria one by one and see if either of these funds stands out.

Fund Holdings Comparison

Minafi's FI Score algorithm takes into account the category and market. The more niche a fund is, the lower the score. This doesn't mean it's a worse fund, but it does mean you should stop and make sure this a fund you need to diversify your portfolio.

ALCZX SPMAX
Market Score 2.0 /10 0.4 /10
Category Score 8.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total 10.0 5.4

A score of 10 means this is a solid market and category that almost every investor will want to have investments in. The lower the score, the more specific the investment. These scores are based on when most investors would add these funds to their portfolio. A score of 10 means that this fund (or one like it) belongs in a three-fund portfolio. The lower the score, the farther down in your portfolio a fund would go.

Winner: $ALCZX

Fee Comparison

Fees are one of the biggest killers of portfolio growth. The difference between a 2% fee and a 0.04% fee over 30 years can result in your portfolio having half the total value!

If you're just getting started investing and learning how fees impact your portfolio, I'd encourage you to read through my free investment course (specifically '2.2 - All About Fees') where I go over all the different types of fees you can be charged and how to lower them.

For these two funds, ALCZX has an expense ratio of 0.89% while SPMAX has an expense ratio of 1.71%.

Winner: $ALCZX

Fund Size Comparison

Both ALCZX and SPMAX have a similar number of assets under management. ALCZX has 128 Million in assets under management, while SPMAX has 9.1 Million.

Minafi categorizes both of these funds as small funds. Fund size is a good indication of how many other investors trust this fund. A large fund by itself doesn't mean it's a good fund, but it is one thing to consider when figuring out how to choose the right fund.

Winner: tie

Which Should You Choose? ALCZX or SPMAX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. ALCZX is a International Stocks Large Growth fund, while SPMAX is a US Stocks Mid-Cap Blend fund.

If you're aiming to build a diversified, low-fee, tax-optimized portfolio you likely won't be choosing between these two funds since they're different enough.

Running both of these funds through Minafi's FI Score algorithm, gives ALCZX a score of 38 and SPMAX a score of 11.

Winner: Neither, I'd research more funds if you're looking to invest for retirement.

$ALCZX

Alger International Focus Fund Class Z

38

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 7 /10
Expense Rating 1 /10
Market Score 2 /10
Category Score 8 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Dec-29-2010
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.890%
Net Assets 128 Million
Yield 4.93%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Large Growth
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.49%
  • Communication Services 9.71%
  • Consumer Cyclical 19.05%
  • Consumer Defensive 11.55%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 7.94%
  • Healthcare 16.04%
  • Industrials 7.74%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 23.47%
  • Utilities 0.00%
Regions
  • Asia Developed 6.73%
  • Asia Emerging 14.26%
  • Australasia 8.40%
  • Europe Developed 41.33%
  • Europe Emerging 1.85%
  • Japan 11.28%
  • Latin America 2.10%
  • North America 5.63%
  • United Kingdom 8.41%

$SPMAX

Saratoga Mid Capitalization Portfolio Fund Class A

11

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 1 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 0 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Jun-28-2002
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 1.710%
Net Assets 9.1 Million
Yield 0.01%
Holdings
Description Info
Market US Stocks
Category Mid-Cap Blend
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.80%
  • Communication Services 2.73%
  • Consumer Cyclical 7.25%
  • Consumer Defensive 5.39%
  • Energy 3.21%
  • Financial Services 15.86%
  • Healthcare 8.44%
  • Industrials 16.06%
  • Real Estate 3.23%
  • Technology 18.11%
  • Utilities 14.91%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 1.45%
  • North America 95.99%
  • United Kingdom 2.56%

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