LOUP vs TSCLX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on LOUP vs TSCLX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Innovator Loup Frontier Tech ETF($LOUP) and TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund Retail Class($TSCLX).

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.

  • loup
  • ETF
  • Sector Equity
  • Technology

Innovator Loup Frontier Tech ETF

Expenses: 0.70% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Technology Sector Equity fund. See why »

  • tsclx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Allocation
  • All-In-One

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund Retail Class

Expenses: 0.37% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a All-In-One Allocation fund. See why »

$LOUP is classified as an ETF while $TSCLX 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

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.

LOUPTSCLX
Market Score 0.8 /10 3.7 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 5.0 /10
Total0.88.7

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: $TSCLX

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, LOUP has an expense ratio of 0.70% while TSCLX has an expense ratio of 0.37%.

Winner: $TSCLX

Fund Size Comparison

Both LOUP and TSCLX have a similar number of assets under management. LOUP has 11.5 Million in assets under management, while TSCLX has 294 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? LOUP or TSCLX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. LOUP is a Sector EquityTechnology fund, while TSCLX is a AllocationAll-In-One 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 LOUP a score of 22 and TSCLX a score of 57.

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

$LOUP

Innovator Loup Frontier Tech ETF

22

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Diversification Score1/10
Expense Ratio Score6/10
Expense Rating3/10
Market Score1/10
Category Score0/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeETF
ExchangeNYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio0.700%
Net Assets11.5 Million
Yield0.00%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketSector Equity
CategoryTechnology
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 0.00%
  • Communication Services 10.76%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 9.17%
  • Consumer Defensive 0.00%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 0.00%
  • Healthcare 2.50%
  • Industrials 23.30%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 54.28%
  • Utilities 0.00%
Regions
  • Asia Developed 16.48%
  • Asia Emerging 5.99%
  • Europe Developed 2.43%
  • Japan 9.21%
  • North America 65.88%

$TSCLX

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund Retail Class

57

Read More
Ratings
Rating TypeRating
Expense Ratio Score9/10
Expense Rating6/10
Market Score4/10
Category Score5/10
Overview
OverviewDetails
Fund TypeMutual Fund
Inception DateDec-9-2011
ExchangeNMFQS
Expense Ratio0.370%
Net Assets294 Million
Yield1.56%
Holdings
DescriptionInfo
MarketAllocation
CategoryAll-In-One
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 3.33%
  • Communication Services 9.54%
  • Consumer Cyclical 11.13%
  • Consumer Defensive 7.66%
  • Energy 1.91%
  • Financial Services 14.05%
  • Healthcare 16.93%
  • Industrials 9.37%
  • Real Estate 2.25%
  • Technology 21.20%
  • Utilities 2.61%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 0.46%
  • Asia Developed 2.66%
  • Asia Emerging 4.31%
  • Australasia 1.22%
  • Europe Developed 11.24%
  • Europe Emerging 0.36%
  • Japan 5.45%
  • Latin America 1.63%
  • North America 68.64%
  • United Kingdom 4.04%

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