IEF vs SDG Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on IEF vs SDG

Here's an in depth look at the differences between iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF ($IEF) and iShares MSCI Global Impact ETF ($SDG).

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.

89% FI Score
  • ief
  • ETF
  • Bond
  • Government Bond

iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Expenses: 0.15% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Government Bond Bond fund. See why »

55% FI Score
  • sdg
  • ETF
  • Allocation
  • Total World

iShares MSCI Global Impact ETF

Expenses: 0.49% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

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

Both $IEF and $SDG 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.

IEF SDG
Market Score 9.7 /10 3.6 /10
Category Score 8.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total 17.7 8.6

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: $IEF

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, IEF has an expense ratio of 0.15% while SDG has an expense ratio of 0.49%. In this case, both of these funds have a similar fee.

Winner: $IEF (barely)

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, IEF is a large fund with 21.4 Billion in assets under management. SDG, on the other hand, is a small fund with 103 Million in assets under management.

Winner: $IEF, iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Which Should You Choose? IEF or SDG?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. IEF is a Bond Government Bond fund, while SDG is a Allocation Total World 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 IEF a score of 89 and SDG a score of 55.

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

$IEF

iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

89

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 9 /10
Market Score 10 /10
Category Score 8 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date Jul-1-2010
Exchange NASDAQ
Expense Ratio 0.150%
Net Assets 21.4 Billion
Yield 1.65%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Bond
Category Government Bond
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%

$SDG

iShares MSCI Global Impact ETF

55

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Diversification Score 0 /10
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 5 /10
Market Score 4 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Exchange NASDAQ
Expense Ratio 0.490%
Net Assets 103 Million
Yield 1.41%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Allocation
Category Total World
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 6.51%
  • Communication Services 2.64%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 12.38%
  • Consumer Defensive 19.24%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 0.03%
  • Healthcare 18.73%
  • Industrials 24.71%
  • Real Estate 7.39%
  • Technology 3.76%
  • Utilities 4.62%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 0.10%
  • Asia Developed 5.39%
  • Asia Emerging 10.22%
  • Australasia 0.85%
  • Europe Developed 24.49%
  • Japan 13.13%
  • Latin America 2.94%
  • North America 32.24%
  • United Kingdom 10.65%

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