NIQVX vs VHT Fund Comparison

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

Group Created with Sketch.

Minafi's Take on NIQVX vs VHT

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Neuberger Berman International Equity Fund Investor Class ($NIQVX) and Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares ($VHT).

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.

46% FI Score
  • niqvx
  • Mutual Fund
  • International Stocks
  • Large Growth

Neuberger Berman International Equity Fund Investor Class

Expenses: 1.13% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Large Growth International Stocks fund. See why »

86% FI Score
  • vht
  • ETF
  • Sector Equity
  • Healthcare

Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares

Expenses: 0.10% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Healthcare Sector Equity fund. See why »

$NIQVX is classified as a Mutual Fund while $VHT 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.

NIQVX VHT
Market Score 6.5 /10 9.6 /10
Category Score 8.0 /10 0.0 /10
Total 14.5 9.6

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: $NIQVX

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, NIQVX has an expense ratio of 1.13% while VHT has an expense ratio of 0.10%.

Winner: $VHT

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, NIQVX is a medium fund with 2 Billion in assets under management. VHT, on the other hand, is a large fund with 12.6 Billion in assets under management.

Winner: $VHT, Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares

Which Should You Choose? NIQVX or VHT?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. NIQVX is a International Stocks Large Growth fund, while VHT is a Sector Equity Healthcare 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 NIQVX a score of 46 and VHT a score of 86.

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

$NIQVX

Neuberger Berman International Equity Fund Investor Class

46

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 5 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 7 /10
Category Score 8 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Jun-17-2005
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 1.130%
Net Assets 2 Billion
Yield 0.92%
Holdings
Description Info
Market International Stocks
Category Large Growth
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 5.68%
  • Communication Services 5.03%
  • Consumer Cyclical 9.04%
  • Consumer Defensive 13.86%
  • Energy 3.39%
  • Financial Services 16.67%
  • Healthcare 16.46%
  • Industrials 13.81%
  • Real Estate 0.31%
  • Technology 15.17%
  • Utilities 0.57%
Regions
  • Africa/Middle East 2.30%
  • Asia Developed 4.75%
  • Asia Emerging 2.63%
  • Europe Developed 44.44%
  • Japan 11.75%
  • Latin America 0.56%
  • North America 10.62%
  • United Kingdom 22.95%

$VHT

Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares

86

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Diversification Score 10 /10
Expense Ratio Score 10 /10
Expense Rating 9 /10
Market Score 10 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date Nov-30-2017
Exchange NYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio 0.100%
Net Assets 12.6 Billion
Yield 1.50%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Sector Equity
Category Healthcare
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 0.11%
  • Communication Services 0.00%
  • Consumer Cyclicals 0.00%
  • Consumer Defensive 0.00%
  • Energy 0.00%
  • Financial Services 0.01%
  • Healthcare 99.82%
  • Industrials 0.02%
  • Real Estate 0.00%
  • Technology 0.04%
  • Utilities 0.00%
Regions
  • Asia Developed 0.00%
  • Europe Developed 1.51%
  • Latin America 0.02%
  • North America 98.26%
  • United Kingdom 0.21%

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 thumbs up duo