ESGU vs JUST

ESGUAiShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF

JUSTBGoldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

In short

ESGU Screening out companies is easy; keeping the market's shape while you do it is the hard part. ESGU's index optimizes toward stronger ESG characteristics while targeting risk and return similar to the broad MSCI USA Index.

JUST Goldman's values-screened large cap fund, and the only one built on the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index. Roughly 500 US names, running since 2018, at a fee below the median for its cohort.

Stated mandate

ESGU Seeks to track an index of large- and mid-cap U.S. companies selected for favorable environmental, social and governance (ESG) characteristics while seeking risk/return similar to the MSCI USA Index.

JUST The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index.

Why people hold it

• ESGU Not a screen-and-drop portfolio: the index optimizes toward better ESG characteristics while targeting risk and return similar to the broad MSCI USA Index.ishares.com
• 0.15% a year, below the typical fund in its US ESG group, spread across roughly 300 large- and mid-cap names rather than a narrow shortlist.
• Running since 2016, a multi-billion-dollar iShares fund that pays quarterly and sits in the top quartile of a crowded US ESG peer group.

• JUST Charges 0.20% a year, under the 0.25% median for US values-screened funds.
• Holds about 500 stocks, so it keeps the shape of the broad US large cap market instead of narrowing to a short screened list.
• The prospectus gives it one job (match the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index before fees) and the portfolio stays inside that mandate, no side bets.
• Live since 2018 with quarterly distributions, so there is a real record here rather than a backtest.

Worth knowing

• ESGU Cheaper seats in the same row: XVV at 0.08%, ESGV at 0.09%, SNPE and EFIV at 0.10%, against 0.15% here.
• Market-like risk is the stated goal, so exclusions are lighter than a purist ESG fund and the holdings end up looking a lot like the broad US market.ishares.com
• MSCI's ratings decide who makes the cut, so the portfolio reflects one provider's definition of ESG, not an industry standard.ishares.com

• JUST The big index shops undercut it: ESGV and XVV price under a tenth of a percent, which makes 0.20% mid-pack against the cohort's cheapest options.
• Volume is light next to the category's largest funds, so spreads can run wider and order size and timing matter more.
• With roughly 500 names, it still looks a lot like the broad US market; the screens shift weights more than they change what you own.

Full ESGU profile⁠

Full JUST profile⁠