FWSBX vs SILAX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on FWSBX vs SILAX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between First Western Short Duration Bond Fund ($FWSBX) and Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund - Class A ($SILAX).

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.

40% FI Score
  • fwsbx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Bond
  • High Yield Bond

First Western Short Duration Bond Fund

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

This is a bad choice for a High Yield Bond Bond fund. See why »

25% FI Score
  • silax
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Large Blend

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund - Class A

Expenses: 1.35% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

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

Both $FWSBX and $SILAX 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

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.

FWSBX SILAX
Market Score 2.8 /10 2.2 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 10.0 /10
Total 2.8 12.2

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: $SILAX

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, FWSBX has an expense ratio of 0.60% while SILAX has an expense ratio of 1.35%.

Winner: $FWSBX

Fund Size Comparison

Both FWSBX and SILAX have a similar number of assets under management. FWSBX has 105 Million in assets under management, while SILAX has 82.9 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? FWSBX or SILAX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. FWSBX is a Bond High Yield Bond fund, while SILAX is a International Stocks Large Blend 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 FWSBX a score of 40 and SILAX a score of 25.

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

$FWSBX

First Western Short Duration Bond Fund

40

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Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 8 /10
Expense Rating 4 /10
Market Score 3 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Apr-26-2013
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.600%
Net Assets 105 Million
Yield 2.75%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Bond
Category High Yield Bond
Sectors
  • Agency MBS ARM 0.00%
  • Agency MBS CMO 22.44%
  • Agency MBS Pass-Through 1.72%
  • Asset-Backed 14.06%
  • Bank Loan 0.00%
  • Cash & Equivalents 3.52%
  • Commercial MBS 1.29%
  • Convertible 0.90%
  • Corporate 30.89%
  • Corporate Bond 29.99%
  • Covered Bond 0.00%
  • Government 11.34%
  • Municipal 3.44%
  • Non-Agency Residential MBS 11.30%
  • Non-U.S. Government 0.00%
  • Other 0.00%
  • Other Government Related 0.00%
  • Preferred 0.00%
  • Securitized 50.82%
  • U.S. Agency 0.92%
  • U.S. Treasury 10.41%
  • U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected 0.00%

$SILAX

Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund - Class A

25

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 2 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 2 /10
Category Score 10 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Sep-24-1997
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 1.350%
Net Assets 82.9 Million
Yield 2.35%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Large Blend
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 11.07%
  • Communication Services 8.04%
  • Consumer Cyclical 9.27%
  • Consumer Defensive 6.32%
  • Energy 3.39%
  • Financial Services 23.38%
  • Healthcare 15.05%
  • Industrials 13.54%
  • Real Estate 0.19%
  • Technology 8.00%
  • Utilities 1.75%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 2.19%
  • Asia Developed 8.12%
  • Asia Emerging 7.10%
  • Australasia 1.35%
  • Europe Developed 41.54%
  • Europe Emerging 1.46%
  • Japan 13.40%
  • Latin America 1.37%
  • North America 9.72%
  • United Kingdom 13.76%

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