AVIE vs TACU

AVIEAAvantis Inflation Focused Equity ETF

TACUAT. Rowe Price Active Core U.S. Equity ETF

In short

AVIE Most inflation plays reach for commodities or TIPS. Avantis reaches for stocks: roughly 400 US companies, screened on profitability and value, picked for their expected ability to benefit when inflation rises.

TACU T. Rowe Price's quant-plus-fundamental take on core large-cap U.S. stock, benchmarked to the Russell 1000. Gross fee 0.14%, fully waived to zero through January 30, 2027.

Stated mandate

AVIE The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation through primarily U.S. equity investments selected for their expected ability to benefit when inflation rises or is expected to rise.

TACU The fund seeks long-term capital growth through a primarily U.S. equity portfolio. It combines quantitative models with fundamental, bottom-up analysis and seeks excess returns relative to the Russell 1000 Index.

Why people hold it

• AVIE Costs 0.25% a year while the typical active US equity fund in its peer group runs about 0.65%. Cheap for an actively managed, purpose-built portfolio.
• The inflation exposure comes from operating businesses, not futures contracts: a primarily US equity portfolio of roughly 400 names.
• Avantis keeps its house discipline on top of the theme, tilting toward companies with higher profitability at lower prices rather than buying the inflation story at any valuation.
• Sits in the top quartile of a 234-fund active US equity cohort on our review, and pays quarterly.

• TACU Fee fully waived: 0.14% gross, zero net through January 30, 2027. That sits below every top-scoring peer in the category, including DFAU at 0.12% with no waiver.troweprice.com
• Quant models feed bottom-up stock picking with tilts to profitability, quality and value, chasing excess return over the Russell 1000 while holding tracking error tight.troweprice.com
• Several hundred large-cap names, so no single position runs the show. One of the stronger profiles in a crowded active U.S. equity field.troweprice.com

Worth knowing

• AVIE Small asset base and thin trading. Spreads can run wider than on big index funds, and that matters more on large or hurried orders.
• A portfolio built around inflation sensitivity is not a broad-market portfolio. Expect sector weights and results that wander from the S&P 500 in both directions.
• Active, with no published index to check it against, and a track record that only starts in 2022. Avantis' plain large-cap fund AVLC charges 0.15% if you'd rather skip the theme.

• TACU Launched in December 2025, so the live record is short and the risk read rests on limited history.
• Still a small fund that trades lightly, which can mean wider spreads than the category's giants.
• Distributions are annual at most, with no declared income target. This is a growth mandate, not a cash-flow one.

Full AVIE profile⁠

Full TACU profile⁠