FIGSX vs IMOM Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on FIGSX vs IMOM

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Fidelity® Series International Growth Fund ($FIGSX) and Alpha Architect International Quantitative Momentum ETF ($IMOM).

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.

93% FI Score
  • figsx
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Large Growth

Fidelity® Series International Growth Fund

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

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

46% FI Score
  • imom
  • ETF
  • International Stocks
  • Large Growth

Alpha Architect International Quantitative Momentum ETF

Expenses: 0.59% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

$FIGSX is classified as a Mutual Fund while $IMOM is classified as an ETF. 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

Both of these funds are International Stocks Large Growth 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.

FIGSX IMOM
Market Score 9.1 /10 1.3 /10
Category Score 8.0 /10 8.0 /10
Total 17.1 9.3

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: $FIGSX

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, FIGSX has an expense ratio of 0.01% while IMOM has an expense ratio of 0.59%. In this case, both of these funds have a similar fee.

Winner: $FIGSX (barely)

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, FIGSX is a large fund with 12.1 Billion in assets under management. IMOM, on the other hand, is a small fund with 64.7 Million in assets under management.

Winner: $FIGSX, Fidelity® Series International Growth Fund

Which Should You Choose? FIGSX or IMOM?

Since both of these funds are International Stocks Large Growth 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 FIGSX a score of 93 and IMOM a score of 46.

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

Winner: $FIGSX, Fidelity® Series International Growth Fund

$FIGSX

Fidelity® Series International Growth Fund

93

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 10 /10
Expense Rating 10 /10
Market Score 9 /10
Category Score 8 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Dec-3-2009
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.010%
Net Assets 12.1 Billion
Yield 2.19%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Large Growth
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 7.49%
  • Communication Services 3.96%
  • Consumer Cyclical 6.04%
  • Consumer Defensive 7.10%
  • Energy 0.16%
  • Financial Services 23.47%
  • Healthcare 13.55%
  • Industrials 19.91%
  • Real Estate 1.03%
  • Technology 17.30%
  • Utilities 0.00%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 1.50%
  • Asia Developed 6.28%
  • Asia Emerging 4.24%
  • Australasia 3.76%
  • Europe Developed 39.41%
  • Japan 12.87%
  • Latin America 0.32%
  • North America 23.48%
  • United Kingdom 8.14%

$IMOM

Alpha Architect International Quantitative Momentum ETF

46

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Diversification Score 4 /10
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 4 /10
Market Score 1 /10
Category Score 8 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date Dec-22-2015
Exchange BATS
Expense Ratio 0.590%
Net Assets 64.7 Million
Yield 1.72%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Large Growth
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.63%
  • Communication Services 9.05%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 10.77%
  • Consumer Defensive 8.81%
  • Energy 2.33%
  • Financial Services 8.68%
  • Healthcare 19.89%
  • Industrials 17.99%
  • Real Estate 2.20%
  • Technology 13.60%
  • Utilities 2.05%
Regions
  • Asia Developed 4.39%
  • Australasia 4.49%
  • Europe Developed 53.25%
  • Japan 26.89%
  • United Kingdom 10.98%

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