GSJY vs IAU Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on GSJY vs IAU

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Japan Equity ETF ($GSJY) and iShares Gold Trust ($IAU).

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.

60% FI Score
  • gsjy
  • ETF
  • International Stocks
  • Japan Stock

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Japan Equity ETF

Expenses: 0.25% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Japan Stock International Stocks fund. See why »

78% FI Score
  • iau
  • ETF
  • Commodities
  • Focused

iShares Gold Trust

Expenses: 0.25% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Focused Commodities fund. See why »

Both $GSJY and $IAU 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

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.

GSJY IAU
Market Score 3.6 /10 9.7 /10
Category Score 5.0 /10 0.0 /10
Total 8.6 9.7

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: $IAU

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, GSJY has an expense ratio of 0.25% while IAU has an expense ratio of 0.25%.

Winner: tie

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, GSJY is a small fund with 18.6 Million in assets under management. IAU, on the other hand, is a large fund with 24.5 Billion in assets under management.

Winner: $IAU, iShares Gold Trust

Which Should You Choose? GSJY or IAU?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. GSJY is a International Stocks Japan Stock fund, while IAU is a Commodities Focused 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 GSJY a score of 60 and IAU a score of 78.

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

$GSJY

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Japan Equity ETF

60

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Diversification Score 7 /10
Expense Ratio Score 8 /10
Expense Rating 8 /10
Market Score 4 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date Mar-2-2016
Exchange NYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio 0.250%
Net Assets 18.6 Million
Yield 2.98%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Japan Stock
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.17%
  • Communication Services 9.89%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 14.31%
  • Consumer Defensive 9.87%
  • Energy 1.99%
  • Financial Services 8.91%
  • Healthcare 13.27%
  • Industrials 18.78%
  • Real Estate 2.58%
  • Technology 14.60%
  • Utilities 1.63%
Regions
  • Japan 100.00%

$IAU

iShares Gold Trust

78

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 8 /10
Market Score 10 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date Jan-21-2005
Exchange NYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio 0.250%
Net Assets 24.5 Billion
Yield 0.00%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Commodities
Category Focused
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 0.00%
  • Communication Services 0.00%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 0.00%
  • Consumer Defensive 0.00%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 0.00%
  • Healthcare 0.00%
  • Industrials 0.00%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 0.00%
  • Utilities 0.00%

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