ARKK vs LPRFX Fund Comparison

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

GroupCreated with Sketch.

Minafi's Take on ARKK vs LPRFX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between ARK Innovation ETF($ARKK) and BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2050 Fund Investor A Shares($LPRFX).

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.

  • arkk
  • ETF
  • Sector Equity
  • Healthcare

ARK Innovation ETF

Expenses: 0.75% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Healthcare Sector Equity fund. See why »

  • lprfx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Allocation
  • Target-Date

BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2050 Fund Investor A Shares

Expenses: 1.20% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Target-Date Allocation fund. See why »

$ARKK is classified as an ETF while $LPRFX is classified as a Mutual Fund. Even though one of these is a mutual fund and the other is an ETF, that doesn't matter too much for their holdings. Both ETFs and mutual funds are just containers to hold lots of investments inside of them.

The biggest differences between these two is where they may be offered. ETFs are more widely available from a larger number of investment apps and websites. Mutual funds, on the other hand, are generally offered by the platform they're issued by (Fidelity funds on Fidelity, Vanguard funds on Vanguard). Usually 401(k)'s will offer both ETFs and Mutual Funds. If you're investing outside of a 401(k), I'd recommend you verify the fees associated with ETF and mutual fund transactions. Some platforms charge an additional fee to purchase a mutual fund.

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.

ARKKLPRFX
Market Score 8.4 /10 3.3 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total8.48.3

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: $ARKK

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, ARKK has an expense ratio of 0.75% while LPRFX has an expense ratio of 1.20%.

Winner: $ARKK

Fund Size Comparison

One place these two funds differ is in their total assets under management. This 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.

In the case of these two funds, ARKK is a large fund with 3.65 Billion in assets under management. LPRFX, on the other hand, is a small fund with 110 Million in assets under management.

Winner: $ARKK, ARK Innovation ETF

Which Should You Choose? ARKK or LPRFX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. ARKK is a Sector EquityHealthcare fund, while LPRFX is a AllocationTarget-Date 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 ARKK a score of 53 and LPRFX a score of 20.

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

$ARKK

ARK Innovation ETF

53

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Diversification Score0/10
Expense Ratio Score6/10
Expense Rating3/10
Market Score8/10
Category Score0/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeETF
Inception DateOct-30-2014
ExchangeNYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio0.750%
Net Assets3.65 Billion
Yield0.30%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketSector Equity
CategoryHealthcare
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 0.00%
  • Communication Services 11.72%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 11.72%
  • Consumer Defensive 4.23%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 4.25%
  • Healthcare 35.56%
  • Industrials 4.90%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 27.63%
  • Utilities 0.00%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 8.05%
  • Europe Developed 6.32%
  • North America 85.63%

$LPRFX

BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2050 Fund Investor A Shares

20

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Expense Ratio Score1/10
Expense Rating0/10
Market Score3/10
Category Score5/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeMutual Fund
Inception DateJun-30-2008
ExchangeNMFQS
Expense Ratio1.200%
Net Assets110 Million
Yield2.10%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketAllocation
CategoryTarget-Date
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.83%
  • Communication Services 8.96%
  • Consumer Cyclical 9.22%
  • Consumer Defensive 8.87%
  • Energy 3.30%
  • Financial Services 14.85%
  • Healthcare 12.94%
  • Industrials 9.98%
  • Real Estate 9.43%
  • Technology 14.91%
  • Utilities 2.72%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 1.95%
  • Asia Developed 8.03%
  • Asia Emerging 13.35%
  • Australasia 2.49%
  • Europe Developed 15.39%
  • Europe Emerging 1.66%
  • Japan 9.54%
  • Latin America 1.92%
  • North America 40.38%
  • United Kingdom 5.30%

Adam says: Learn how to confidently invest for retirement!

Join the Minafi Investor Bootcamp to see how.

This 10-course bootcamp starts at only $10 for everything!

Minafi use cookies & emails to ensure the best experience possible. Check out our privacy policy for more.

Minafi - The intersection of FI, minimalism & mindfulness.

Don't miss out on new posts, courses, interactive articles and more!

Join & Get Your First Course Free

© 2025   Adam Fortuna

Site Map
Triangle Graduation Cap Angle Down Book regular Phone laptop regular fire regular fire regular search regular Acorn duotone Seedling duotone thumbs down duo