CGUS vs DFAC

CGUSACapital Group Core Equity ETF

DFACADimensional US Core Equity 2 ETF

In short

CGUS Capital Group's low-key answer to the index fund: an actively managed US core portfolio of roughly 70 stocks chasing both appreciation and dividends, priced at 0.33% while the typical active US equity ETF charges about double.

DFAC Dimensional's whole-market workhorse: roughly 2,600 US stocks in one ticker, run by managers who weigh federal tax consequences before they trade, at a fee closer to index funds than to active ones.

Stated mandate

CGUS The fund seeks long-term capital growth and income by investing mainly in common stocks that the adviser believes offer appreciation potential or dividends. It is actively managed and emphasizes companies viewed as attractively valued long-term opportunities.

DFAC The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation while considering federal income-tax implications in its investment decisions.

Why people hold it

• CGUS Charges 0.33% a year against a roughly 0.65% median for active US equity ETFs. Rare pricing for a stock-picking mandate rather than an index tracker.
• Real active management, not closet indexing: about 70 names selected for appreciation potential or dividends, with a stated tilt toward companies the adviser views as attractively valued.
• A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, so getting in and out is straightforward rather than a limit-order science project.
• Ranks among the strongest implementations in a crowded active US equity field on our review, and pays out quarterly.

• DFAC 0.17% a year for an actively run fund, well under the median fee among active US equity ETFs.
• About 2,600 US stocks under one ticker, so it holds the market broadly rather than a narrow slice of it.
• Federal income-tax implications sit inside the stated objective, not in a footnote, so they factor into what managers buy and sell.
• A multi-billion-dollar fund with a track record running back to 2007 and one of the strongest implementations in its peer group.

Worth knowing

• CGUS Cheap for active, not cheap outright. Systematic peers like DFAU (0.12%) and AVLC (0.15%) undercut it if you want core US equity at the lowest possible fee.
• A roughly 70-stock book means individual picks carry real weight, and the portfolio can look meaningfully different from the broad US market in either direction.
• Launched in 2022, so the ETF's own track record is short even though the manager behind it is not new to US equities.

• DFAC Actively managed, so there's no published index to check it against. Holdings and tilts shift at the managers' discretion.
• Dimensional's own DFAU runs a US core equity mandate for 0.12%, a slightly lighter fee for a similar shelf.
• All stocks, all US: the mandate is capital appreciation from equities, so it takes the market's full swings, and cash arrives quarterly.

Full CGUS profile⁠

Full DFAC profile⁠