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DFAC vs NELS

Dimensional US Core Equity 2 ETF

DFACANYSE Arca

Nelson Select ETF

NELSDCboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

DFAC −1.64pt a year

DFAC0.17%NELS1.81%

Avg volume · 30D

DFAC 134.7×the volume

DFAC2MNELS14.9K

DFAC vs NELS Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+16.1%DFAC+11.2%NELS

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. DFAC +16.1%. NELS +11.2%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−5%0%5%20%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
DFAC 0.17%, better
NELS 1.81%
Fund size
DFAC $87.7B
NELS $75M
1Y total return
DFAC +16.1%, better
NELS +11.2%
Yield (12M)
DFAC 0.88%
NELS No data
Holdings
DFAC 2553
NELS 87
Avg volume (30D)
DFAC 2M sh, better
NELS 14.9K sh
NAV per share
DFAC $44.87
NELS $29.15
52W range

ETF.net Grade

DFAC: Cost 94, Risk 66, Mission 100, Tradability 87, Holdings 87, Durability 97. NELS: Cost 2, Risk 54, Mission not scored, Tradability 67, Holdings 71, Durability 26.
Pillar letters and Scores for DFAC, NELS, with each pillar’s weight
PillarDFACNELS
Cost30% weightA94HigherF2
Mission25% weightA100Not scored
Risk15% weightB66HigherC54
Tradability15% weightA87HigherB67
Holdings10% weightA87HigherA71
Durability5% weightA97HigherD26

Rank among US Active Equity funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. DFAC and NELS are both graded against the same 121 US Active Equity funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Active Equity⁠

Category · 121 funds
See all 121 ›

DFAC ranks 3rd and NELS 88th of 121 funds in the US Active Equity Category.

  1. Rank 1AAVLCAvantis U.S. Large Cap Equity ETFScore 87
  2. Rank 2ADFAUDimensional US Core Equity Market ETFScore 86
  3. Rank 3ADFACDimensional US Core Equity 2 ETFScore 85
  4. Rank 4ADYNFiShares U.S. Equity Factor Rotation Active ETFScore 83
  5. Rank 88DLQAILG QRAFT AI-Powered U.S. Large Cap Core ETFScore 36
  6. Rank 88DNELSNelson Select ETFScore 36
  7. Rank 88DNEWZStockSnips AI-Powered Sentiment US All Cap ETFScore 36

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DFACADimensional US Core Equity 2 ETF

NELSDNelson Select ETF

In short

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.

NELS No data

Stated mandate

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

NELS No data

Why people hold it

  • 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.

NELS No data

Worth knowing

  • 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.

NELS No data

Full DFAC profile⁠

Full NELS profile⁠

DFAC vs NELS Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

DFAC vs NELS Cost

Overpaying NELS vs DFAC

$26,948

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • DFAC 0.17%

    $3,546

  • NELS 1.81%

    $30,494

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • DFAC 0.17%
  • NELS 1.81%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$10K$20K$30K$40K051015202530NELS $30,494DFAC $3,546

Year by year

YearDFACNELSOverpaying
10$310$3,085$2,775
20$1,211$11,187$9,976
30$3,546$30,494$26,948

Expense ratio

  • 0.17%DFAC, cheaper
  • 1.81%NELS
  • Middle half of US Active Equity funds
  • Median 0.68%

DFAC 8th cheapest of 121 funds

NELS 118th cheapest of 121 funds

DFAC vs NELS Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
DFAC 0.88%
NELS No data
Payout (12M)
DFAC $0.39
NELS None
Last payment
DFAC $0.10
NELS No data
Ex-dividend
DFAC Sep 22, 2026
NELS No data
Paid on
DFAC Sep 24, 2026
NELS No data
Frequency
DFAC Quarterly
NELS No data

Distribution history

Per share, 2021 to 2026, same scale for both

DFACQuarterly · 22 paymentsAll DFAC payments⁠
One bar per payment. 22 payments from 2021 to 2026 YTD. Jun 22, 2021 $0.06; Sep 21, 2021 $0.08; Dec 16, 2021 $0.11; Mar 22, 2022 $0.06; Jun 22, 2022 $0.09; Sep 20, 2022 $0.09; Dec 20, 2022 $0.12; Mar 21, 2023 $0.06; Jun 21, 2023 $0.09; Sep 19, 2023 $0.10; Dec 19, 2023 $0.10; Mar 19, 2024 $0.07; Jun 18, 2024 $0.10; Sep 17, 2024 $0.09; Dec 17, 2024 $0.10; Mar 25, 2025 $0.08; Jun 24, 2025 $0.11; Sep 23, 2025 $0.11; Dec 16, 2025 $0.09; Mar 24, 2026 $0.10; Jun 23, 2026 $0.11; Sep 22, 2026 $0.10. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.1020232026YTD
NELSAll NELS payments⁠

No distribution history available.

DFAC vs NELS Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
DFAC 12.6%NELS 13.1%since Nov 2025
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
DFAC 1.32NELS 0.59since Nov 2025
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
DFAC −23.1%NELS −9.3%since Oct 2025
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
DFAC 0.99NELS 0.97

DFAC and NELS in the news

All news⁠

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