Is 2020 going to be the year to invest in ASX ETFs like the ETF Securities S&P/ASX 300 High Yield Plus ETF (ASX: ZYAU) and Vaneck MSCI Australian Sustainable Equity ETF (ASX: GRNV)?
How an Aussie (or Kiwi!) investor can use the ZYAU ETF
The ETFS ZYAU ETF aims to track the S&P/ASX 300 Shareholder Yield Index, and invests in 40 stocks from within that index with the highest shareholder yields.
According to our most recent data, the ZYAU ETF had $102.04 million of money invested. With ZYAU’s total funds under management (FUM) figure over $100 million, the ETF meets our team’s minimum investment criteria for FUM levels. As a general rule, our team draws the line at $100 million for ETFs in the Australian shares sector because we believe that, relative to smaller ETFs, achieving this amount of FUM lowers the chance that the ETF issuer will close the ETF.
Fees to consider
According to our numbers, the annual management fee on the ZYAU ETF is 0.35%. The issuer, ETF Securities, collects this fee automatically.
Meaning, if you invested $2,000 in the ZYAU ETF for a full year you could expect to pay management fees of around $7.00. This fee is different from the fee you pay to your brokerage provider (e.g. CommSec, NabTrade, SelfWealth, etc.), which is the fee to buy or sell the ETF. In addition to a management fee charged by the issuer, be mindful to check the ‘spread‘ for the ETF.
A fee comparison
Fees aren’t the only key consideration for ETF investors, but it’s an easy thing to do. To understand if the ETF you’re looking at is too costly, compare it with other ETFs from the same sector, and against the industry average. For example, the average management fee (MER) across all of the ETFs covered by the Best ETFs Australia team was 0.5%, which is $10.00 per $2,000 invested. Keep in mind that small changes in the fees paid can make a big difference after 10 or 20 years. You should read the ZYAU Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), available on the ETF issuer’s website, because it will detail the fees, tax implications and the latest information.
You can get a copy of our free investment review when click here to see the ZYAU ETF report.
Key facts about the GRNV ETF
For a diversified portfolio of sustainable Australian companies, the VanEck GRNV ETF may be of interest. This ETF focuses on Australian companies that have high environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, based on MSCI ESG Research. GRNV has been certified by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), as part of the Responsible Investment Certification Program.
With our numbers for Oct 2020, GRNV’s FUM stood at $58.93 million. Given it has less than $100 million invested, ask yourself (or your adviser) if the ETF is still too small (and if you should wait to buy into it). If you’re concerned the ETF might not be established enough, compare it alongside one of the other Index sector ETFs, using our full list of ETFs.
Are the fees for the GRNV ETF bad?
Vaneck, the ETF issuer, charges a yearly management fee of 0.35% for the GRNV ETF. Meaning, if you invested $2,000 for a full 12-month period you could expect to pay a base management fee of around $7.00.
This management fee is below the average for all ETFs on our Best ETFs Australia list of ETFs. However, you might still be able to find a cheaper ETF for less.
Get the full GRNV review available on our website by clicking this link to access our report.
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