Lowest Fee
0.03%
Vanguard S&P 500
Average Fee
0.23%
All funds
Funds Available
30
NZ accessible
Best 5Y Return
15.7%
Vanguard S&P 500
Showing 30 of 30 funds
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF
iShares • IVV
Expense Ratio
0.03%
Tracking Error
2.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$600.0B
Low-fee S&P 500 tracker
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF
Vanguard • VEA
Expense Ratio
0.03%
Tracking Error
5.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$130.0B
Developed markets outside the U.S.
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
Vanguard • VTI
Expense Ratio
0.03%
Tracking Error
3.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$400.0B
Broad exposure to nearly the entire U.S. stock market
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Vanguard • VOO
Expense Ratio
0.03%
Tracking Error
2.00%
5Y Return
15.7%
AUM
$400.0B
Tracks the S&P 500 Index, representing 500 of the largest U.S. companies
Vanguard Total International Stock ETF
Vanguard • VXUS
Expense Ratio
0.05%
Tracking Error
5.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$100.0B
Complete international market outside the U.S.
iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF
iShares • IEFA
Expense Ratio
0.07%
Tracking Error
6.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$100.0B
Developed markets (Europe, Australasia & Far East), ex U.S. & Canada
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF
Vanguard • VEU
Expense Ratio
0.07%
Tracking Error
5.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$39.0B
Broad international (developed + emerging) outside the U.S.
Vanguard Total World Stock ETF
Vanguard • VT
Expense Ratio
0.07%
Tracking Error
4.00%
5Y Return
11.2%
AUM
$35.0B
Provides exposure to the entire world stock market in a single fund
Vanguard Emerging Markets ETF
Vanguard • VWO
Expense Ratio
0.08%
Tracking Error
15.00%
5Y Return
3.8%
AUM
$85.0B
Broad exposure to emerging market equities
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
iShares • IEMG
Expense Ratio
0.09%
Tracking Error
15.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$80.0B
Comprehensive emerging-markets exposure (large, mid & small cap)
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
State Street (SPDR) • SPY
Expense Ratio
0.09%
Tracking Error
2.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$600.0B
Oldest & most-traded S&P 500 ETF
Simplicity NZ Share Fund
Simplicity • N/A
Expense Ratio
0.10%
Tracking Error
20.00%
5Y Return
5.8%
AUM
$380M
Non-profit, low-cost NZ equity fund with ethical exclusions
Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
Invesco • QQQM
Expense Ratio
0.15%
Tracking Error
10.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$58.2B
Lower-fee NASDAQ-100 tracker from Invesco
Simplicity Unhedged Global Share Fund
Simplicity • N/A
Expense Ratio
0.15%
Tracking Error
20.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$2.4B
Low-fee NZ fund tracking developed markets ex-NZ with ESG screens
Invesco QQQ Trust
Invesco • QQQ
Expense Ratio
0.20%
Tracking Error
10.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$355.0B
Tracks the NASDAQ-100: the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on Nasdaq
Smartshares NZ Top 50 ETF
Smartshares • FNZ
Expense Ratio
0.20%
Tracking Error
15.00%
5Y Return
6.3%
AUM
$650M
Tracks the S&P/NZX 50 Index, the 50 largest companies on the NZX
iShares MSCI World ETF
iShares • URTH
Expense Ratio
0.24%
Tracking Error
8.00%
5Y Return
12.1%
AUM
$2.5B
Tracks developed market equities globally, excluding emerging markets
Kernel S&P Global 100 Fund
Kernel • N/A
Expense Ratio
0.25%
Tracking Error
20.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$120M
NZ PIE tracking S&P Global 100 (large, multinational firms)
Kernel NZ 20 Fund
Kernel • N/A
Expense Ratio
0.25%
Tracking Error
18.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$120M
Low-cost exposure to the 20 largest NZ companies
Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100 UCITS ETF (Dist)
Invesco • EQQQ
Expense Ratio
0.30%
Tracking Error
12.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$9.0B
UCITS-domiciled NASDAQ-100 ETF with quarterly distributions
iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF (USD Acc)
iShares • CNDX
Expense Ratio
0.30%
Tracking Error
12.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$21.4B
UCITS-domiciled (Ireland) NASDAQ-100 with accumulating share class
iShares MSCI ACWI ETF
iShares • ACWI
Expense Ratio
0.32%
Tracking Error
8.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$22.4B
One-ticket global developed + emerging markets (large & mid cap)
Smartshares US 500 ETF
Smartshares • USF
Expense Ratio
0.34%
Tracking Error
12.00%
5Y Return
15.2%
AUM
$1.8B
NZD-hedged exposure to the S&P 500 index with PIE tax benefits
Smartshares Total World ETF
Smartshares • TWF
Expense Ratio
0.40%
Tracking Error
20.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$600M
NZ-listed PIE giving total-world exposure (via Vanguard VT)
iShares Global Clean Energy ETF
iShares • ICLN
Expense Ratio
0.42%
Tracking Error
35.00%
5Y Return
12.1%
AUM
$5.8B
Focuses on companies in the clean energy sector globally
AMP Capital Global Index Fund
AMP • N/A
Expense Ratio
0.44%
Tracking Error
25.00%
5Y Return
11.5%
AUM
$450M
Globally diversified index fund with PIE tax benefits for NZ investors
BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF
BetaShares • NDQ
Expense Ratio
0.48%
Tracking Error
25.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$6.9B
ASX-listed NASDAQ-100 exposure; no W-8BEN form required
Smartshares Asia Pacific ETF
Smartshares • APA
Expense Ratio
0.55%
Tracking Error
20.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$100M
NZX PIE for developed Asia-Pacific exposure
Smartshares Europe ETF
Smartshares • EUF
Expense Ratio
0.55%
Tracking Error
20.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$120M
NZX PIE with broad European equity exposure
Smartshares Emerging Markets ETF
Smartshares • EMF
Expense Ratio
0.59%
Tracking Error
25.00%
5Y Return
N/A
AUM
$200M
NZX-listed PIE giving broad EM exposure (via Vanguard VWO)
Understanding Expense Ratios
What is an Expense Ratio?
The annual fee charged by a fund, expressed as a percentage of your investment. A 0.10% expense ratio means you pay $1 per year for every $1,000 invested.
Impact Over Time
On a $10,000 investment over 30 years:
- • 0.05% fee = $1,500 in total fees
- • 0.50% fee = $14,000 in total fees
- • 1.00% fee = $26,000 in total fees
Fee Guidelines
- • Excellent: Under 0.10%
- • Good: 0.10% - 0.25%
- • Average: 0.25% - 0.50%
- • High: Above 0.50%
Tracking Error Explained
What is Tracking Error?
The standard deviation of the difference between fund returns and index returns. Lower tracking error means the fund follows its index more closely.
Acceptable Ranges
- • Large-cap funds: 0.02% - 0.10%
- • International funds: 0.10% - 0.30%
- • Small-cap funds: 0.20% - 0.50%
- • Emerging markets: 0.30% - 1.00%
Causes of Tracking Error
- • Fund expenses and fees
- • Cash holdings for redemptions
- • Sampling vs full replication
- • Securities lending income
- • Timing of dividend reinvestment
Assets Under Management (AUM)
What is AUM?
The total market value of all assets that a fund manages on behalf of investors. It represents the size and scale of the fund.
Why AUM Matters
- • Liquidity: Larger funds can handle big trades better
- • Costs: Fixed costs spread over more investors
- • Stability: Less likely to close or merge
- • Tracking: Better ability to replicate index
AUM Guidelines
- • Large: $1B+ (very liquid)
- • Medium: $100M - $1B (good liquidity)
- • Small: $10M - $100M (adequate)
- • Tiny: Under $10M (risky)
Considerations
Very large funds (>$10B) may face challenges in small-cap investing. For broad market index funds, bigger is generally better for NZ investors.
Index Funds for NZ Investors
PIE Tax Benefits
NZ-domiciled funds and some Australian ETFs offer PIE (Portfolio Investment Entity) tax treatment, capping tax at 28% regardless of your marginal rate.
Currency Considerations
NZD-hedged funds reduce currency risk but add ~0.10-0.20% in hedging costs. Unhedged funds provide currency diversification but add volatility.
Access Options
Access index funds through NZX-listed ETFs, InvestNow platform, Sharesies, Hatch, or directly with providers like Kernel and Simplicity.
FIF Tax Rules
Foreign investments over $50,000 are subject to FIF (Foreign Investment Fund) tax rules. Consider NZ-domiciled PIE funds or Australian-listed ETFs to avoid FIF complexity.
Advertisement