AXVIX vs MFFRX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on AXVIX vs MFFRX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund Class I($AXVIX) and MFS Lifetime 2050 Fund Class B($MFFRX).

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.

  • axvix
  • Mutual Fund
  • US Stocks
  • Small Value

Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund Class I

Expenses: 0.67% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Small Value US Stocks fund. See why »

  • mffrx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Allocation
  • Target-Date

MFS Lifetime 2050 Fund Class B

Expenses: 1.00% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

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

Both $AXVIX and $MFFRX 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.

AXVIXMFFRX
Market Score 0.0 /10 4.3 /10
Category Score 5.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total5.09.3

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: $MFFRX

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, AXVIX has an expense ratio of 0.67% while MFFRX has an expense ratio of 1.00%.

Winner: $AXVIX

Fund Size Comparison

Both AXVIX and MFFRX have a similar number of assets under management. AXVIX has 2.28 Million in assets under management, while MFFRX has 247 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? AXVIX or MFFRX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. AXVIX is a US StocksSmall Value fund, while MFFRX 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 AXVIX a score of 36 and MFFRX a score of 26.

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

$AXVIX

Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund Class I

36

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Expense Ratio Score9/10
Expense Rating3/10
Market Score0/10
Category Score5/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeMutual Fund
Inception DateDec-31-2018
ExchangeNMFQS
Expense Ratio0.670%
Net Assets2.28 Million
Yield0.93%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketUS Stocks
CategorySmall Value
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.14%
  • Communication Services 2.95%
  • Consumer Cyclical 18.28%
  • Consumer Defensive 4.19%
  • Energy 1.75%
  • Financial Services 31.29%
  • Healthcare 5.13%
  • Industrials 17.73%
  • Real Estate 0.62%
  • Technology 13.92%
  • Utilities 0.00%
Regions
  • Asia Emerging 0.07%
  • North America 99.93%

$MFFRX

MFS Lifetime 2050 Fund Class B

26

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Expense Ratio Score2/10
Expense Rating0/10
Market Score4/10
Category Score5/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeMutual Fund
Inception DateSep-15-2010
ExchangeNMFQS
Expense Ratio1.000%
Net Assets247 Million
Yield1.01%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketAllocation
CategoryTarget-Date
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.24%
  • Communication Services 7.40%
  • Consumer Cyclical 8.51%
  • Consumer Defensive 9.25%
  • Energy 2.15%
  • Financial Services 13.53%
  • Healthcare 13.30%
  • Industrials 12.06%
  • Real Estate 9.26%
  • Technology 16.55%
  • Utilities 3.77%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 0.57%
  • Asia Developed 3.61%
  • Asia Emerging 3.93%
  • Australasia 1.22%
  • Europe Developed 12.15%
  • Europe Emerging 0.35%
  • Japan 6.06%
  • Latin America 0.76%
  • North America 67.33%
  • United Kingdom 4.03%

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