GAADX vs IASMX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on GAADX vs IASMX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Guinness Atkinson Asia Pacific Dividend Builder Fund ($GAADX) and Guinness Atkinson Asia Focus Fund ($IASMX).

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.

30% FI Score
  • gaadx
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock

Guinness Atkinson Asia Pacific Dividend Builder Fund

Expenses: 1.10% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock International Stocks fund. See why »

16% FI Score
  • iasmx
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock

Guinness Atkinson Asia Focus Fund

Expenses: 1.98% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock International Stocks fund. See why »

Both $GAADX and $IASMX 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 Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock 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.

GAADX IASMX
Market Score 2.9 /10 2.2 /10
Category Score 5.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total 7.9 7.2

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: $GAADX

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, GAADX has an expense ratio of 1.10% while IASMX has an expense ratio of 1.98%.

Winner: $GAADX

Fund Size Comparison

Both GAADX and IASMX have a similar number of assets under management. GAADX has 19.3 Million in assets under management, while IASMX has 14.4 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? GAADX or IASMX?

Since both of these funds are International Stocks Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock 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 GAADX a score of 30 and IASMX a score of 16.

Since both of these have a similar FI Score, the difference between these two if minimal. A higher FI Score doesn't mean future growth will be higher, but it does mean that it better fits criteria for a good fund. Neither of these funds has an FI Score above 90 – which is a red flag. I'd look into more funds to find one with a higher FI Score.

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

$GAADX

Guinness Atkinson Asia Pacific Dividend Builder Fund

30

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 5 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 3 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Mar-31-2006
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 1.100%
Net Assets 19.3 Million
Yield 3.53%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 0.00%
  • Communication Services 2.96%
  • Consumer Cyclical 20.48%
  • Consumer Defensive 5.08%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 25.46%
  • Healthcare 8.72%
  • Industrials 8.60%
  • Real Estate 8.71%
  • Technology 17.12%
  • Utilities 2.87%
Regions
  • Asia Developed 38.26%
  • Asia Emerging 43.38%
  • Australasia 9.44%
  • North America 8.92%

$IASMX

Guinness Atkinson Asia Focus Fund

16

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 1 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 2 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Apr-29-1996
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 1.980%
Net Assets 14.4 Million
Yield 0.65%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Asia/Pacific ex-Japan Stock
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 3.33%
  • Communication Services 13.86%
  • Consumer Cyclical 15.87%
  • Consumer Defensive 6.34%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 17.25%
  • Healthcare 8.37%
  • Industrials 13.89%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 18.12%
  • Utilities 2.97%
Regions
  • Asia Developed 34.80%
  • Asia Emerging 55.36%
  • Australasia 6.61%
  • North America 3.22%

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