AVLC vs KOOL

AVLCAAvantis U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

KOOLDNorth Shore Equity Rotation ETF

In short

AVLC Active management with index-fund manners: roughly 900 U.S. large caps, with the dial turned toward cheaper, more profitable companies. Avantis charges 0.15% a year to do it.

KOOL A sector-rotation fund that published its playbook: the prospectus names four business-cycle stages and the sectors KOOL tilts toward in each, from staples and utilities in a recession to tech and financials in an expansion.

Stated mandate

AVLC The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. It invests broadly in U.S. large-capitalization companies while using active decisions to overweight lower valuations and higher profitability.

KOOL The Fund seeks to outperform the S&P 500 Index through investments across different equity-market sectors.

Why people hold it

• AVLC 0.15% a year against a 0.65% median for active U.S. equity funds. That is passive-style pricing on an actively run book.
• Holds about 900 names against the Russell 1000, so the value and profitability tilts sit on top of broad market exposure instead of a concentrated bet.avantisinvestors.com
• One of the stronger builds in the active U.S. equity group, priced in the same neighborhood as the Dimensional core funds (DFAU, DFAC) it competes with.
• A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades steadily, so spreads and liquidity are rarely the sticking point. Distributions are paid quarterly.

• KOOL The playbook is in writing. The prospectus names four cycle stages (recession, recovery, expansion, slowdown) and the sectors the fund leans into in each.sec.gov
• Views get expressed through both single stocks and sector ETFs, so one trade can shift a whole sleeve. The book stays concentrated, at roughly 40 positions.sec.gov
• The adviser reviews GDP, employment, consumer spending and inflation at least monthly, so the stage call runs on a set cadence rather than on headlines.sec.gov
• The mandate is global, not U.S.-only, so the rotation can reach foreign equities as well as domestic ones.sec.gov

Worth knowing

• AVLC Launched in 2023. The tilt philosophy is well worn at Avantis, but this fund's own live record is still short.
• Active, not index-tracking. The Russell 1000 is a reference point, not a leash, so holdings and weights can drift from it.
• Leaning toward cheaper, higher-profitability companies means stretches where it moves differently from the plain cap-weighted market, in either direction.avantisinvestors.com

• KOOL Pricier than most of the category: 0.93% net of a waiver through July 31, 2027, versus a 1.32% gross rate, while peers like DFAU at 0.12% and AVLC at 0.15% sit far below.
• Thinly traded and non-diversified, so spreads can bite on entry and exit and a handful of names can drive results.sec.gov
• Everything rides on the adviser's read of the cycle, and the prospectus notes the stages can repeat or arrive out of order.sec.gov

Full AVLC profile⁠

Full KOOL profile⁠