GDVD vs WDIV Fund Comparison

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

GroupCreated with Sketch.

Minafi's Take on GDVD vs WDIV

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Principal Active Global Dividend Income ETF($GDVD) and SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF($WDIV).

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.

  • gdvd
  • ETF
  • Allocation
  • Total World

Principal Active Global Dividend Income ETF

Expenses: 0.58% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

  • wdiv
  • ETF
  • Allocation
  • Total World

SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF

Expenses: 0.40% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

Both $GDVD and $WDIV are categorized as ETFs. ETFs have an added bonus over mutual funds of being more widely available. Mutual funds are often limited to only the issuing investment brokerage. Since these are both ETFs, you may be able to find these at a wider number of investment apps and websites.

The biggest disadvantage of ETFs is that some platforms only allow you to purchase ETFs in whole shares. So if an ETF is going for $75, you may need to invest in increments of $75. Most 401(k)'s allow for investing down to the penny, but you'll want to verify your platform allows for "fractional ETF Shares".

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 AllocationTotal World 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.

GDVDWDIV
Market Score 7.0 /10 5.1 /10
Category Score 5.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total12.010.1

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.

For each fund we've created a "diversification score" – a metric to indicate how closely each funds asset allocation matches it's benchmark. For example, an S&P 500 fund would have a diversification score of 10 if it's fully in line with the actual S&P 500.

The diversification score for GDVD is 7.4/10, while WDIV has a diversification score of 0.0/10.

In other words, GDVD more closely matches it's benchmark.

Winner: $GDVD

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, GDVD has an expense ratio of 0.58% while WDIV has an expense ratio of 0.40%. In this case, both of these funds have a similar fee.

Winner: $WDIV (barely)

Fund Size Comparison

Both GDVD and WDIV have a similar number of assets under management. GDVD has 689 Million in assets under management, while WDIV has 223 Million.

Minafi categorizes both of these funds as medium 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? GDVD or WDIV?

Since both of these funds are AllocationTotal World 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 GDVD a score of 66 and WDIV a score of 63.

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.

$GDVD

Principal Active Global Dividend Income ETF

66

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Diversification Score7/10
Expense Ratio Score9/10
Expense Rating4/10
Market Score7/10
Category Score5/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeETF
ExchangeBATS
Expense Ratio0.580%
Net Assets689 Million
Yield3.18%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketAllocation
CategoryTotal World
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 3.47%
  • Communication Services 8.16%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 10.57%
  • Consumer Defensive 7.61%
  • Energy 3.98%
  • Financial Services 14.86%
  • Healthcare 11.67%
  • Industrials 12.83%
  • Real Estate 4.30%
  • Technology 19.22%
  • Utilities 3.35%
Regions
  • Asia Developed 6.71%
  • Australasia 2.67%
  • Europe Developed 20.27%
  • Europe Emerging 1.96%
  • Japan 4.93%
  • Latin America 1.32%
  • North America 57.06%
  • United Kingdom 5.07%

$WDIV

SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF

63

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Diversification Score0/10
Expense Ratio Score9/10
Expense Rating6/10
Market Score5/10
Category Score5/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeETF
Inception DateMay-29-2013
ExchangeNYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio0.400%
Net Assets223 Million
Yield5.88%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketAllocation
CategoryTotal World
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.64%
  • Communication Services 11.15%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 4.77%
  • Consumer Defensive 7.34%
  • Energy 7.09%
  • Financial Services 27.17%
  • Healthcare 1.22%
  • Industrials 4.27%
  • Real Estate 12.94%
  • Technology 3.90%
  • Utilities 15.52%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 1.39%
  • Asia Developed 12.97%
  • Asia Emerging 3.69%
  • Australasia 6.03%
  • Europe Developed 23.02%
  • Japan 10.84%
  • North America 36.79%
  • United Kingdom 5.28%

Adam says: Learn how to confidently invest for retirement!

Join the Minafi Investor Bootcamp to see how.

This 10-course bootcamp starts at only $10 for everything!

Minafi use cookies & emails to ensure the best experience possible. Check out our privacy policy for more.

Minafi - The intersection of FI, minimalism & mindfulness.

Don't miss out on new posts, courses, interactive articles and more!

Join & Get Your First Course Free

© 2025   Adam Fortuna

Site Map
Triangle Graduation Cap Angle Down Book regular Phone laptop regular fire regular fire regular search regular Acorn duotone Seedling duotone thumbs down duo