ADIV vs VDI

ADIVDGuinness Atkinson Asia Pacific Dividend Builder ETF

VDIBVirtus International Dividend ETF

In short

ADIV A 2006 Asia Pacific dividend fund that became one of the first US mutual funds ever converted into an ETF, in March 2021. Roughly 35 equally weighted dividend payers, actively picked, at 0.78% net of a waiver through June 30, 2029.

VDI Active international dividend investing at near-index pricing: VDI goes after developed-market payers outside the US, income first and growth second, for well under half the typical fee in its niche.

Stated mandate

ADIV The fund seeks dividend income and long-term capital growth by investing primarily in dividend-producing equity securities of companies tied to the Asia Pacific region.

VDI The Fund seeks current income, with long-term capital appreciation as its secondary objective.

Why people hold it

• ADIV Guinness Atkinson pioneered the mutual-fund-to-ETF conversion in March 2021, and this 2006-vintage Asia Pacific strategy was one of the two funds it flipped. Same manager approach, new wrapper.sec.govsec.gov 2
• Roughly 35 positions of approximately equal weight, spread across at least four Asia Pacific countries, so no single mega-cap runs the portfolio. The prospectus allows 25 to 75 holdings.sec.gov
• Dual mandate in plain terms: dividend income plus long-term capital growth from Asia Pacific equities, with at least 80% of assets in dividend-paying stocks tied to the region. Pays quarterly.sec.gov

• VDI Charges 0.39% against a 0.79% median for active international dividend funds, undercutting peers like IDVO (0.65%) and BIDD (0.60%).
• The mandate matches the label: current income is the stated primary objective, capital appreciation secondary, with at least 80% of assets in dividend-paying companies.nasdaqtrader.com
• Spreads across roughly 120 developed-market stocks outside the US, chosen by an active manager rather than pulled from a mechanical yield screen.
• Cost and portfolio construction put it among the stronger builds in the small field of active international dividend ETFs.

Worth knowing

• ADIV Costs 0.78% net of a waiver through June 30, 2029, above the category median; the gross fee is 1.95%. Peers such as VDI (0.39%) and JHID (0.46% net of a waiver through July 31, 2027) run cheaper.
• Thinly traded and modest in size, which can mean wider spreads than the category's biggest names.
• Concentrated by design and exposed to Asia Pacific currencies and emerging markets, so individual holdings and FX moves can swing results more than in a broad global fund.sec.gov

• VDI Launched in December 2025, so there is no long record to judge. The case rests on the fee and the mandate, not years of results.
• Small and thinly traded, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than in giant index funds and sizable orders can push the price around.
• Income arrives once or twice a year rather than monthly, and the prospectus does not lock in a payout frequency.

Full ADIV profile⁠

Full VDI profile⁠