DFGX vs SDSI

DFGXADimensional International Core Fixed Income ETF

SDSIBAmerican Century Short Duration Strategic Income ETF

In short

DFGX Dimensional's bond sleeve for everything outside the US: roughly 700 mostly developed-market issues at 0.20%, net of a waiver through February 28, 2027. Built to sit beside a US core, not re-buy it.

SDSI Active short-duration credit in an ETF wrapper. Managers roam investment-grade and high-yield corporates, government paper and securitized debt, US and overseas, chasing income while keeping rate sensitivity short.

Stated mandate

DFGX The fund seeks to maximize total returns through income and capital appreciation.

SDSI The fund seeks current income and, secondarily, long-term capital appreciation. It uses active bond selection and tactical sector management across U.S. and non-U.S. markets.

Why people hold it

• DFGX Costs 0.20% net of a waiver through February 28, 2027 (0.21% gross), below the category median and under sibling DFGP at 0.22% net of a waiver through the same date.
• Ex-US by design: roughly 700 bonds, mostly developed-market governments, agencies and corporates, with maturities inside 20 years from settlement.sec.gov
• Run systematically, with exposure to duration, credit quality and currency of issuance adjusted from market prices rather than copied from an index bond for bond.dimensional.com
• A billion-dollar-plus fund and one of the stronger implementations in its global bond peer group, paying income quarterly.

• SDSI Short by design. It measures itself against the Bloomberg U.S. 1-3 Year Government/Credit index, so it carries far less rate sensitivity than the intermediate aggregate funds that define this category.americancentury.com
• Go-anywhere toolkit: investment-grade and high-yield corporates, Treasuries and agency paper, mortgage- and asset-backed bonds, US and non-US, spread across roughly 400 positions.americancentury.com
• 0.32% a year undercuts the median fund in its bond cohort, unusual for active management, and holdings are disclosed daily rather than quarterly.americancentury.com
• Income is the stated first objective, with capital appreciation second, and the fund's policy is to pay distributions monthly.

Worth knowing

• DFGX Foreign bonds mean two moving parts: local interest rates and exchange rates. The ride can differ from a US core holding.sec.gov
• Not a plain index tracker, so results can drift from a global ex-US bond benchmark in either direction.dimensional.com
• A 2023 launch and moderate trading volume: a shorter record than long-standing global bond funds, and spreads can widen in fast markets.sec.gov

• SDSI Cheap for active, pricey next to index. BND, SCHZ and SPAB each charge 0.03%, so the managers' sector calls carry the whole burden of justifying the gap.
• The high-yield sleeve is where the extra income comes from, and it is also where credit stress shows up first. This is not a Treasury-only short bond fund.americancentury.com
• It trades lightly compared with the index heavyweights in its cohort, which tends to mean wider spreads. Limit orders matter more here than with a mega-fund.

Full DFGX profile⁠

Full SDSI profile⁠