HQBYX vs ISDX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on HQBYX vs ISDX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Hartford Quality Bond Fund Class Y ($HQBYX) and Invesco RAFI Strategic Developed ex-US ETF ($ISDX).

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.

68% FI Score
  • hqbyx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Bond
  • Total US Bond Market

Hartford Quality Bond Fund Class Y

Expenses: 0.02% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Total US Bond Market Bond fund. See why »

59% FI Score
  • isdx
  • ETF
  • International Stocks
  • Large Blend

Invesco RAFI Strategic Developed ex-US ETF

Expenses: 0.23% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

$HQBYX is classified as a Mutual Fund while $ISDX is classified as an ETF. 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.

HQBYX ISDX
Market Score 1.7 /10 3.8 /10
Category Score 10.0 /10 10.0 /10
Total 11.7 13.8

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: $ISDX

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, HQBYX has an expense ratio of 0.02% while ISDX has an expense ratio of 0.23%. In this case, both of these funds have a similar fee.

Winner: $HQBYX (barely)

Fund Size Comparison

Both HQBYX and ISDX have a similar number of assets under management. HQBYX has 140 Million in assets under management, while ISDX has 206 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? HQBYX or ISDX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. HQBYX is a Bond Total US Bond Market fund, while ISDX 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 HQBYX a score of 68 and ISDX a score of 59.

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

$HQBYX

Hartford Quality Bond Fund Class Y

68

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 10 /10
Expense Rating 10 /10
Market Score 2 /10
Category Score 10 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Nov-30-2012
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.020%
Net Assets 140 Million
Yield 3.08%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Bond
Category Total US Bond Market
Sectors
  • Agency MBS ARM 0.00%
  • Agency MBS CMO 13.82%
  • Agency MBS Pass-Through 37.23%
  • Asset-Backed 3.86%
  • Bank Loan 0.00%
  • Cash & Equivalents 10.68%
  • Commercial MBS 4.51%
  • Convertible 0.00%
  • Corporate 0.00%
  • Corporate Bond 0.00%
  • Covered Bond 0.00%
  • Government 27.40%
  • Municipal 0.00%
  • Non-Agency Residential MBS 2.50%
  • Non-U.S. Government 0.00%
  • Other 0.00%
  • Other Government Related 26.83%
  • Preferred 0.00%
  • Securitized 61.92%
  • U.S. Agency 0.57%
  • U.S. Treasury 0.00%
  • U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected 0.00%

$ISDX

Invesco RAFI Strategic Developed ex-US ETF

59

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Diversification Score 3 /10
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 8 /10
Market Score 4 /10
Category Score 10 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Exchange NASDAQ
Expense Ratio 0.230%
Net Assets 206 Million
Yield 3.10%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Large Blend
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 13.05%
  • Communication Services 7.05%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 12.34%
  • Consumer Defensive 11.28%
  • Energy 9.11%
  • Financial Services 6.17%
  • Healthcare 9.54%
  • Industrials 15.05%
  • Real Estate 0.61%
  • Technology 9.53%
  • Utilities 6.28%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 0.16%
  • Asia Developed 8.39%
  • Asia Emerging 0.73%
  • Australasia 4.09%
  • Europe Developed 35.42%
  • Europe Emerging 0.27%
  • Japan 17.82%
  • Latin America 0.06%
  • North America 18.43%
  • United Kingdom 14.63%

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