AVTM vs KNOW

AVTMAAvantis Total Equity Markets ETF 1

KNOWDFundamentals First ETF

In short

AVTM Avantis' one-ticket world stock market: roughly 1,700 holdings, U.S. names owned directly and the overseas sleeves held through sister Avantis funds, all tilted toward cheaper, more profitable companies.

KNOW Mason Capital ran this strategy in private funds for decades before wrapping it in an ETF: roughly 100 global businesses plus a bond sleeve, no single position over 5% at purchase. The fee is 1.10%, above the category norm.

Stated mandate

AVTM Seeks long-term capital appreciation through a broadly diversified total-market equity allocation, using individual securities and Avantis ETFs while emphasizing securities expected to offer higher returns or better risk characteristics than a passive market-capitalization-weighted index.

KNOW The Fund seeks income and capital growth.

Why people hold it

• AVTM Costs 0.22% net of a fee waiver (0.23% gross), a notch under stablemate AVGE at 0.23% and below the typical fee in its category.
• Owns U.S. companies directly rather than only stacking funds, then uses Avantis ETFs for developed and emerging markets abroad. One ticket, all market caps.sec.gov
• Benchmarked to 85% Russell 3000 and 15% MSCI ACWI ex-US IMI: a deliberately U.S.-heavy world portfolio, not a global cap-weight split.avantisinvestors.com
• One of the stronger builds in a crowded field of actively managed global equity funds.

• KNOW A 5% cap per holding, measured at purchase, and the fund sells down anything that drifts above it. One company's bad news can dent this portfolio, not define it.sec.gov
• One ticket covers both sides of a portfolio: 65% to 90% in stocks, 10% to 35% in bonds, US and non-US, any market cap, ADRs for foreign names. Distributions come quarterly.sec.gov
• Long-only, low-turnover, buy-and-hold by design. Names come from company filings, industry data and management interviews rather than an index screen.cboe.comsec.gov
• About 100 holdings, so every pick has to earn its slot. No index to hug and no derivatives sleeve, just listed stocks and bonds.sec.gov

Worth knowing

• AVTM Avantis flags that much of the starting portfolio sits on a low tax basis, so the fund may realize and distribute more capital gains than other ETFs.avantisinvestors.com
• Trades thinly next to the index giants in its category, so spreads and order size matter more here.
• Launched January 2026, so the history is short, and with no index to follow the portfolio reflects Avantis' own valuation and profitability tilts.sec.gov

• KNOW At 1.10% with no waiver, the fee sits above the category median (42 funds priced). Broad global-equity rivals AVTM (0.22%) and AVGE (0.23%) charge a fraction of it.
• A small fund that trades thinly, so spreads can run wide and size can move the price. Limit orders and patience matter more here than with a mega-cap index fund.
• Outcomes ride on one team's judgment: no benchmark to track, and the bond sleeve may hold any maturity or credit quality the managers pick.sec.gov

Full AVTM profile⁠

Full KNOW profile⁠