FEMSX vs VEIEX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on FEMSX vs VEIEX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Fidelity® Series Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund ($FEMSX) and Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund Investor Shares ($VEIEX).

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.

92% FI Score
  • femsx
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Emerging Markets

Fidelity® Series Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund

Expenses: 0.01% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

84% FI Score
  • veiex
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Emerging Markets

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund Investor Shares

Expenses: 0.29% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

Both $FEMSX and $VEIEX 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

Both of these funds are International Stocks Emerging Markets funds – which means they're likely both investing in about the same investments behind the scenes.

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.

FEMSX VEIEX
Market Score 9.7 /10 10.0 /10
Category Score 5.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total 14.7 15.0

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: $VEIEX

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, FEMSX has an expense ratio of 0.01% while VEIEX has an expense ratio of 0.29%. In this case, both of these funds have a similar fee.

Winner: $FEMSX (barely)

Fund Size Comparison

Both FEMSX and VEIEX have a similar number of assets under management. FEMSX has 21.4 Billion in assets under management, while VEIEX has 87.8 Billion.

Minafi categorizes both of these funds as large 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? FEMSX or VEIEX?

Since both of these funds are International Stocks Emerging Markets funds, you'll most likely only need to invest in one of these funds – not both. Running both of these funds through Minafi's FI Score algorithm, gives FEMSX a score of 92 and VEIEX a score of 84.

In this case, one fund has a 90+ score – which the clear winner between these two.

Winner: $FEMSX, Fidelity® Series Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund

$FEMSX

Fidelity® Series Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund

92

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 10 /10
Expense Rating 10 /10
Market Score 10 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Dec-9-2008
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.010%
Net Assets 21.4 Billion
Yield 2.81%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Emerging Markets
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 7.27%
  • Communication Services 13.93%
  • Consumer Cyclical 15.71%
  • Consumer Defensive 6.99%
  • Energy 5.63%
  • Financial Services 20.05%
  • Healthcare 3.70%
  • Industrials 3.89%
  • Real Estate 2.70%
  • Technology 17.73%
  • Utilities 2.40%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 4.16%
  • Asia Developed 22.38%
  • Asia Emerging 51.87%
  • Europe Developed 1.17%
  • Europe Emerging 5.77%
  • Japan 0.76%
  • Latin America 11.74%
  • North America 1.68%
  • United Kingdom 0.46%

$VEIEX

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund Investor Shares

84

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 7 /10
Market Score 10 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date May-4-1994
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.290%
Net Assets 87.8 Billion
Yield 3.54%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Emerging Markets
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 7.47%
  • Communication Services 13.53%
  • Consumer Cyclical 14.25%
  • Consumer Defensive 6.57%
  • Energy 6.40%
  • Financial Services 21.25%
  • Healthcare 4.19%
  • Industrials 6.18%
  • Real Estate 3.98%
  • Technology 13.17%
  • Utilities 3.00%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 9.33%
  • Asia Developed 16.55%
  • Asia Emerging 60.44%
  • Europe Developed 0.30%
  • Europe Emerging 4.44%
  • Latin America 8.76%
  • North America 0.18%

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