FIKFX vs SMEZ Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on FIKFX vs SMEZ

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Fidelity Freedom® Index Income Fund Investor Class ($FIKFX) and SPDR EURO STOXX Small Cap ETF ($SMEZ).

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.

71% FI Score
  • fikfx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Allocation
  • Target-Date

Fidelity Freedom® Index Income Fund Investor Class

Expenses: 0.12% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

45% FI Score
  • smez
  • ETF
  • International Stocks
  • Europe Stock

SPDR EURO STOXX Small Cap ETF

Expenses: 0.45% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Europe Stock International Stocks fund. See why »

$FIKFX is classified as a Mutual Fund while $SMEZ 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

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.

FIKFX SMEZ
Market Score 5.7 /10 1.8 /10
Category Score 5.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total 10.7 6.8

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: $FIKFX

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, FIKFX has an expense ratio of 0.12% while SMEZ has an expense ratio of 0.45%.

Winner: $FIKFX

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, FIKFX is a medium fund with 615 Million in assets under management. SMEZ, on the other hand, is a small fund with 11.1 Million in assets under management.

Winner: $FIKFX, Fidelity Freedom® Index Income Fund Investor Class

Which Should You Choose? FIKFX or SMEZ?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. FIKFX is a Allocation Target-Date fund, while SMEZ is a International Stocks Europe Stock 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 FIKFX a score of 71 and SMEZ a score of 45.

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

$FIKFX

Fidelity Freedom® Index Income Fund Investor Class

71

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 9 /10
Market Score 6 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Oct-2-2009
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.120%
Net Assets 615 Million
Yield 1.85%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Allocation
Category Target-Date
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 3.97%
  • Communication Services 9.46%
  • Consumer Cyclical 9.98%
  • Consumer Defensive 8.61%
  • Energy 3.53%
  • Financial Services 15.89%
  • Healthcare 13.82%
  • Industrials 10.01%
  • Real Estate 3.68%
  • Technology 17.53%
  • Utilities 3.51%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 0.94%
  • Asia Developed 3.76%
  • Asia Emerging 5.72%
  • Australasia 1.54%
  • Europe Developed 11.57%
  • Europe Emerging 0.50%
  • Japan 6.50%
  • Latin America 0.84%
  • North America 64.56%
  • United Kingdom 4.08%

$SMEZ

SPDR EURO STOXX Small Cap ETF

45

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Diversification Score 4 /10
Expense Ratio Score 8 /10
Expense Rating 6 /10
Market Score 2 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date Jun-4-2014
Exchange NYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio 0.450%
Net Assets 11.1 Million
Yield 2.59%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Europe Stock
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 2.82%
  • Communication Services 8.15%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 9.88%
  • Consumer Defensive 6.82%
  • Energy 2.77%
  • Financial Services 13.79%
  • Healthcare 15.49%
  • Industrials 17.08%
  • Real Estate 10.57%
  • Technology 7.37%
  • Utilities 5.25%
Regions
  • Europe Developed 98.15%
  • North America 0.83%
  • United Kingdom 1.03%

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