EFU vs PEMBX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on EFU vs PEMBX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between ProShares UltraShort MSCI EAFE ($EFU) and Putnam Emerging Markets Equity Fund Class B ($PEMBX).

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.

19% FI Score
  • efu
  • ETF
  • Alternative
  • Inverse

ProShares UltraShort MSCI EAFE

Expenses: 0.95% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Inverse Alternative fund. See why »

22% FI Score
  • pembx
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Emerging Markets

Putnam Emerging Markets Equity Fund Class B

Expenses: 2.01% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Emerging Markets International Stocks fund. See why »

$EFU is classified as an ETF while $PEMBX 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 availble 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.

EFU PEMBX
Market Score 1.8 /10 3.5 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total 1.8 8.5

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: $PEMBX

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, EFU has an expense ratio of 0.95% while PEMBX has an expense ratio of 2.01%. In this case, both of these funds have a similar fee.

Winner: $EFU (barely)

Fund Size Comparison

Both EFU and PEMBX have a similar number of assets under management. EFU has 3 Million in assets under management, while PEMBX has 117 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? EFU or PEMBX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. EFU is a Alternative Inverse fund, while PEMBX is a International Stocks Emerging Markets 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 EFU a score of 19 and PEMBX a score of 22.

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

$EFU

ProShares UltraShort MSCI EAFE

19

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Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 5 /10
Expense Rating 1 /10
Market Score 2 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date Aug-31-2016
Exchange NYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio 0.950%
Net Assets 3 Million
Yield 0.72%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Alternative
Category Inverse
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 0.00%
  • Communication Services 0.00%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 0.00%
  • Consumer Defensive 0.00%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 0.00%
  • Healthcare 0.00%
  • Industrials 0.00%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 0.00%
  • Utilities 0.00%

$PEMBX

Putnam Emerging Markets Equity Fund Class B

22

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 1 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 3 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Sep-29-2008
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 2.010%
Net Assets 117 Million
Yield 0.53%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Emerging Markets
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 2.10%
  • Communication Services 19.73%
  • Consumer Cyclical 23.05%
  • Consumer Defensive 8.18%
  • Energy 4.61%
  • Financial Services 7.36%
  • Healthcare 3.59%
  • Industrials 6.55%
  • Real Estate 2.60%
  • Technology 19.45%
  • Utilities 2.79%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 5.89%
  • Asia Developed 23.37%
  • Asia Emerging 53.25%
  • Europe Developed 4.45%
  • Europe Emerging 6.04%
  • Latin America 7.01%

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