OUNZ vs UAG Fund Comparison

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

Group Created with Sketch.

Minafi's Take on OUNZ vs UAG

Here's an in depth look at the differences between VanEck Merk Gold Trust ($OUNZ) and UBS ETRACS CMCI Agriculture Total Return ETN ($UAG).

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.

64% FI Score
  • ounz
  • ETF
  • Commodities
  • Focused

VanEck Merk Gold Trust

Expenses: 0.40% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Focused Commodities fund. See why »

22% FI Score
  • uag
  • ETF
  • Commodities
  • Focused

UBS ETRACS CMCI Agriculture Total Return ETN

Expenses: 0.65% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Focused Commodities fund. See why »

Both $OUNZ and $UAG 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

Both of these funds are Commodities Focused 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.

OUNZ UAG
Market Score 7.5 /10 0.4 /10
Category Score 0.0 /10 0.0 /10
Total 7.5 0.4

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: $OUNZ

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, OUNZ has an expense ratio of 0.40% while UAG has an expense ratio of 0.65%.

Winner: $OUNZ

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, OUNZ is a medium fund with 279 Million in assets under management. UAG, on the other hand, is a small fund with 1.8 Million in assets under management.

Winner: $OUNZ, VanEck Merk Gold Trust

Which Should You Choose? OUNZ or UAG?

Since both of these funds are Commodities Focused 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 OUNZ a score of 64 and UAG a score of 22.

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.

$OUNZ

VanEck Merk Gold Trust

64

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 8 /10
Expense Rating 6 /10
Market Score 7 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Inception Date May-16-2014
Exchange NYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio 0.400%
Net Assets 279 Million
Yield 0.00%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Commodities
Category Focused
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%

$UAG

UBS ETRACS CMCI Agriculture Total Return ETN

22

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 5 /10
Expense Rating 4 /10
Market Score 0 /10
Category Score 0 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type ETF
Exchange NYSE ARCA
Expense Ratio 0.650%
Net Assets 1.8 Million
Yield 0.00%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Commodities
Category Focused
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%

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