FTXR vs PFLWX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on FTXR vs PFLWX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF($FTXR) and RiskPro® Aggressive 30+ Fund Class R($PFLWX).

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.

  • ftxr
  • ETF
  • Sector Equity
  • Industrials

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

Expenses: 0.60% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Industrials Sector Equity fund. See why »

  • pflwx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Allocation
  • Total World

RiskPro® Aggressive 30+ Fund Class R

Expenses: 2.08% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Total World Allocation fund. See why »

$FTXR is classified as an ETF while $PFLWX 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.

FTXRPFLWX
Market Score 0.0 /10 0.8 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total0.05.8

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: $PFLWX

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, FTXR has an expense ratio of 0.60% while PFLWX has an expense ratio of 2.08%.

Winner: $FTXR

Fund Size Comparison

Both FTXR and PFLWX have a similar number of assets under management. FTXR has 5.41 Million in assets under management, while PFLWX has 11.9 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? FTXR or PFLWX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. FTXR is a Sector EquityIndustrials fund, while PFLWX is a AllocationTotal World 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 FTXR a score of 23 and PFLWX a score of 10.

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

$FTXR

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

23

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Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Diversification Score0/10
Expense Ratio Score6/10
Expense Rating4/10
Market Score0/10
Category Score0/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeETF
Inception DateSep-20-2016
ExchangeNASDAQ
Expense Ratio0.600%
Net Assets5.41 Million
Yield1.66%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketSector Equity
CategoryIndustrials
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 0.00%
  • Communication Services 0.00%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 39.17%
  • Consumer Defensive 0.00%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 0.00%
  • Healthcare 0.00%
  • Industrials 60.83%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 0.00%
  • Utilities 0.00%
Regions
  • North America 100.00%

$PFLWX

RiskPro® Aggressive 30+ Fund Class R

10

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Expense Ratio Score1/10
Expense Rating0/10
Market Score1/10
Category Score5/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeMutual Fund
Inception DateDec-11-2017
ExchangeNMFQS
Expense Ratio2.080%
Net Assets11.9 Million
Yield0.95%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketAllocation
CategoryTotal World
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 6.64%
  • Communication Services 6.99%
  • Consumer Cyclical 9.59%
  • Consumer Defensive 4.95%
  • Energy 6.27%
  • Financial Services 19.49%
  • Healthcare 10.91%
  • Industrials 11.70%
  • Real Estate 10.30%
  • Technology 11.07%
  • Utilities 2.08%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 0.68%
  • Asia Developed 5.41%
  • Asia Emerging 5.40%
  • Australasia 1.65%
  • Europe Developed 12.17%
  • Europe Emerging 0.46%
  • Japan 6.95%
  • Latin America 0.96%
  • North America 62.23%
  • United Kingdom 4.08%

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