DFSV vs SSCP

DFSVAU.S. Small Cap Value Portfolio ETF Class Shares

SSCPDSMART Small Cap ETF

In short

DFSV Small-cap value, spread wide: roughly a thousand of the market's cheaper small companies, measured against the Russell 2000 Value Index. A deeper bench than most rivals carry, at a higher price than the plain index funds beside it.

SSCP A 2026-vintage active small-cap fund with an unusually wide passport: it can own U.S. and international small caps, as long as the shares list on a U.S. exchange. Stock picking with a growth lean, not index ownership.

Stated mandate

DFSV The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

SSCP The fund is actively managed and invests primarily in equity securities of U.S. and international small-capitalization companies whose shares are listed on U.S. exchanges.

Why people hold it

• DFSV Roughly 1,000 holdings spread the small-value bet across the whole opportunity set instead of a handful of names.
• A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, so getting a position on or off is rarely the hard part.
• Portfolio construction is the strong suit here: broad, diversified small-cap value exposure, with distributions paid quarterly.
• The mandate is plainly stated: long-term capital appreciation from US stocks, no side quests.

• SSCP Active by design: a sub-adviser runs a growth-oriented selection process instead of buying the small-cap index wholesale.
• The passport is wide. U.S. and international small caps both qualify, provided the shares list on a U.S. exchange, so foreign names arrive without offshore settlement.
• Plain plumbing: a registered 1940 Act ETF whose mandate centers on equity securities, not swaps or notes.

Worth knowing

• DFSV At 0.30% a year it costs more than the typical US value ETF (median 0.18%), and VTWV runs against the same Russell 2000 Value benchmark for 0.06%.
• Small-cap value is a bumpier corner than the large-cap value funds anchoring this group (VTV, SCHV), and the ride shows it.
• Launched in 2022, so its live record is short next to the value funds it sits beside.

• SSCP The fee is 0.79% a year, above the median for active small-cap ETFs. Systematic peers such as AVSC (0.25%) and DFSV (0.30%) charge a fraction of that.
• It launched in 2026 and starts from a small asset base, so the record is short and trading can be light. Check the spread before placing an order.
• No declared index sits behind it, so outcomes ride on the sub-adviser's picks rather than a published rules-based recipe.

Full DFSV profile⁠

Full SSCP profile⁠