JOELX vs NLSCX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on JOELX vs NLSCX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between JPMorgan Opportunistic Equity Long/Short Fund Class A ($JOELX) and Neuberger Berman Long Short Fund Class C ($NLSCX).

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.

41% FI Score
  • joelx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Alternatives
  • Short

JPMorgan Opportunistic Equity Long/Short Fund Class A

Expenses: 2.25% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Short Alternatives fund. See why »

40% FI Score
  • nlscx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Alternatives
  • Short

Neuberger Berman Long Short Fund Class C

Expenses: 2.88% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Short Alternatives fund. See why »

Both $JOELX and $NLSCX 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 Alternatives Short 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.

JOELX NLSCX
Market Score 8.5 /10 9.9 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 0.0 /10
Total 8.5 9.9

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: $NLSCX

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, JOELX has an expense ratio of 2.25% while NLSCX has an expense ratio of 2.88%. In this case, both of these funds have a similar fee.

Winner: $JOELX (barely)

Fund Size Comparison

Both JOELX and NLSCX have a similar number of assets under management. JOELX has 355 Million in assets under management, while NLSCX has 3.02 Billion.

Minafi categorizes both of these funds as large 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? JOELX or NLSCX?

Since both of these funds are Alternatives Short 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 JOELX a score of 41 and NLSCX a score of 40.

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.

$JOELX

JPMorgan Opportunistic Equity Long/Short Fund Class A

41

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 4 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 9 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Aug-29-2014
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 2.250%
Net Assets 355 Million
Yield 0.00%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Alternatives
Category Short
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 3.04%
  • Communication Services 3.46%
  • Consumer Cyclical 19.65%
  • Consumer Defensive 5.08%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 2.27%
  • Healthcare 32.34%
  • Industrials 2.29%
  • Real Estate 0.98%
  • Technology 28.22%
  • Utilities 2.68%
Regions
  • Asia Emerging 9.76%
  • North America 90.24%

$NLSCX

Neuberger Berman Long Short Fund Class C

40

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 1 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 10 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Dec-29-2011
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 2.880%
Net Assets 3.02 Billion
Yield 0.00%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Alternatives
Category Short
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 4.47%
  • Communication Services 10.55%
  • Consumer Cyclical 14.30%
  • Consumer Defensive 6.56%
  • Energy 2.62%
  • Financial Services 12.86%
  • Healthcare 11.98%
  • Industrials 10.51%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 19.22%
  • Utilities 6.93%
Regions
  • Europe Developed 0.53%
  • Latin America 1.57%
  • North America 97.90%

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