AVDS vs TDI

AVDSAAvantis International Small Cap Equity ETF

TDICTouchstone Dynamic International ETF

In short

AVDS Avantis casts a wide net: roughly 3,000 non-US developed small caps, weighted with an eye on price, profitability and how much cash companies plow back in. Active management that looks a lot like an index fund with its thumb on the scale.

TDI An active international fund that skips price targets. Los Angeles Capital's quant model reads which company traits investors are rewarding right now and rebuilds the portfolio around them, typically monthly.

Stated mandate

AVDS The ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing in a broad group of non-U.S. small-cap companies and considering valuation, profitability, and investment levels when selecting and weighting securities.

TDI The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities of companies outside the United States.

Why people hold it

• AVDS Charges 0.30% a year, about half the typical fee in its active international peer group. Cheap is a durable edge in a corner of the market where fees usually run high.
• Roughly 3,000 holdings, so no single stock or country steers the outcome. This is small-cap breadth, not a concentrated stock-picking bet.
• The tilts are the whole design: valuation, profitability and investment levels shape both what it owns and how much of each, measured against MSCI World ex USA Small Cap.avantisinvestors.com
• Sits among the strongest builds in a crowded field of active international equity funds. Broad, systematic, low-fee: the boxes that tend to stay ticked.

• TDI No price targets. The model forecasts which traits (earnings quality, balance-sheet strength) investors currently favor, then rebalances toward them, typically monthly.sec.gov
• One passport, both halves of the world outside the US: at least 80% in non-US equities, developed and emerging, with room for depositary receipts, preferred stock and REITs.sec.gov
• 0.65% net of a waiver through April 29, 2027, against a 1.04% gross fee, so the waiver is doing real work while it runs.
• Fully transparent active: holdings post daily, no shielded portfolio. The strategy moved into the ETF wrapper in December 2023, when Touchstone converted a predecessor mutual fund.westernsouthern.com

Worth knowing

• AVDS Thinly traded compared with the big international names. Limit orders and a look at the spread earn their keep here.
• Launched in 2023, so the live record is short even though the approach behind it is not new.
• Costs more than Avantis' broad international fund AVDE (0.23%). Small caps abroad are pricier to research and trade, and they swing harder.

• TDI Costs sit above the category median. Broad core peers DFIC (0.22%) and AVDE (0.23%) cover international for a fraction, and TACN's fee is waived to zero through January 30, 2027.
• When the waiver ends April 29, 2027, the stated gross fee is 1.04% unless Touchstone extends it.
• Monthly rebalancing means real turnover, worth knowing in a taxable account, and payouts come on an annual schedule rather than quarterly.sec.govwesternsouthern.com

Full AVDS profile⁠

Full TDI profile⁠