JPST vs TGSMX Fund Comparison

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

Group Created with Sketch.

Minafi's Take on JPST vs TGSMX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF ($JPST) and TCW Short Term Bond Fund Class Institutional ($TGSMX).

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.

76% FI Score
  • jpst
  • ETF
  • Alternative
  • Short

JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF

Expenses: 0.18% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Short Alternative fund. See why »

26% FI Score
  • tgsmx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Alternative
  • Short

TCW Short Term Bond Fund Class Institutional

Expenses: 0.44% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

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

$JPST is classified as an ETF while $TGSMX is classified as a Mutual Fund. 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

Both of these funds are Alternative 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.

JPST TGSMX
Market Score 8.8 /10 0.3 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 0.0 /10
Total 8.8 0.3

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: $JPST

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, JPST has an expense ratio of 0.18% while TGSMX has an expense ratio of 0.44%.

Winner: $JPST

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, JPST is a large fund with 11.3 Billion in assets under management. TGSMX, on the other hand, is a small fund with 14.7 Million in assets under management.

Winner: $JPST, JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF

Which Should You Choose? JPST or TGSMX?

Since both of these funds are Alternative 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 JPST a score of 76 and TGSMX a score of 26.

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.

$JPST

JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF

76

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 8 /10
Market Score 9 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Exchange BATS
Expense Ratio 0.180%
Net Assets 11.3 Billion
Yield 2.17%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Alternative
Category Short
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%

$TGSMX

TCW Short Term Bond Fund Class Institutional

26

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 4 /10
Expense Rating 6 /10
Market Score 0 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Feb-26-1993
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.440%
Net Assets 14.7 Million
Yield 2.95%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Alternative
Category Short
Sectors
  • Agency MBS ARM 0.57%
  • Agency MBS CMO 7.56%
  • Agency MBS Pass-Through 1.41%
  • Asset-Backed 3.84%
  • Bank Loan 0.00%
  • Cash & Equivalents 43.91%
  • Commercial MBS 5.53%
  • Convertible 0.58%
  • Corporate 13.09%
  • Corporate Bond 12.51%
  • Covered Bond 0.00%
  • Government 22.83%
  • Municipal 0.19%
  • Non-Agency Residential MBS 1.07%
  • Non-U.S. Government 0.00%
  • Other 0.00%
  • Other Government Related 0.08%
  • Preferred 0.00%
  • Securitized 19.99%
  • U.S. Agency 18.06%
  • U.S. Treasury 4.69%
  • U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected 0.00%

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 - The intersection of FI, minimalism & mindfulness.

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

Join & Get Your First Course Free

© 2024   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