AVGE vs BDVL

AVGEAAvantis All Equity Markets ETF

BDVLAiShares Disciplined Volatility Equity Active ETF

In short

AVGE Avantis's whole-world equity portfolio in one ticker: a fund built from its own factor ETFs across US, developed and emerging markets, tilted toward smaller and cheaper stocks, at 0.23% a year with no waiver involved.

BDVL A global low-volatility fund with an active engine: a quant model picks roughly 500 stocks on low vol, quality and value, scored against MSCI's ACWI Minimum Volatility Index. Fee: 0.39% net of a waiver through June 30, 2028.

Stated mandate

AVGE The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation through a broadly diversified equity portfolio. It invests directly or through Avantis ETFs and emphasizes companies expected to offer higher returns or better risk characteristics than a passive, market-cap-weighted index.

BDVL The Fund seeks risk-adjusted total return through active management of equity exposure, with a focus on managing volatility relative to the broad equity market.

Why people hold it

• AVGE One ticker, the whole map: it owns a series of other Avantis ETFs spanning US, developed international and emerging markets.avantisinvestors.com
• 0.23% a year, below the typical global active equity fund, and that is the real number, not a temporary waiver.
• No closet indexing. The mandate emphasizes companies Avantis expects to offer higher returns or better risk traits than a passive, cap-weighted index.ifa.com
• Sits among the strongest implementations in its global active equity peer group, and it pays shareholders quarterly.

• BDVL Costs 0.39% net of a waiver through June 30, 2028, below the median fee among global active equity peers and under sibling fund BFLX at 0.40%.
• Roughly 500 holdings worldwide, so no single stock runs the show. Its holdings build and risk profile rank among the strongest in its peer group.
• Built to hold core equity exposure while leaning toward stocks that have shown smaller price swings than the broad market.ishares.com
• Trading since 2017, a long life for an active equity ETF, and it has gathered billions from investors along the way.

Worth knowing

• AVGE At the fund level you hold a handful of Avantis ETFs, so the stock-level diversification is look-through and one firm's research drives the entire stack.avantisinvestors.com
• The prospectus targets roughly 70% US equity (band 63% to 77%), so the geographic mix follows Avantis's policy rather than global market weights.ifa.com
• A close sibling, AVTM, covers total equity markets at 0.22% with no waiver attached.

• BDVL A model, not an index, picks the names. Active discretion cuts both ways against the MSCI minimum-volatility benchmark it is measured by.
• The low-vol tilt means lighter exposure to the market's most volatile high-flyers, which shapes how it behaves when those names run.
• Cheaper active options sit in the same category: AVTM at 0.22% and AVGE at 0.23% deliver broad global equity without the volatility focus.

Full AVGE profile⁠

Full BDVL profile⁠