FEDM vs OAIM

FEDMANorthern Trust ESG & Climate Developed Markets ex-US Core ETF

OAIMDOneAscent International Equity ETF

In short

FEDM Northern Trust writes the index and runs the fund: a developed-ex-US core holding screened on its own ESG and climate scoring, at 0.12% net of a waiver through March 1, 2027.

OAIM Most international ESG funds are cheap index trackers. OAIM goes the other way: an actively managed, concentrated book of non-US stocks, emerging markets included, picked through OneAscent's faith-based screening process.

Stated mandate

FEDM The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Northern Trust ESG & Climate Developed Markets ex-US Core Index.

OAIM The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in diversified non-U.S. equity securities, potentially including emerging-market companies, subject to the Adviser’s values-based screening process.

Why people hold it

• FEDM At 0.12% net of a waiver through March 1, 2027, it sits at the low end of its peer group, matching DMXF (0.12%) and undercutting ESGD (0.20%).
• Optimized, not just screened: the index limits how far any stock, sector or region can drift from its developed-ex-US parent, so it still behaves like core foreign equity.flexshares.com
• Northern Trust scores companies on its own ESG Vector Score instead of licensing a third party ratings index, and manages the fund in-house.flexshares.com
• Roughly 300 large and mid-cap names across developed markets outside the US, paid out quarterly.flexshares.com

• OAIM Active by design: a concentrated portfolio built stock by stock rather than an index clone, with OneAscent's values screen deciding what is even eligible.oneascent.com
• Wider map than EAFE-only rivals like ESGD and DMXF: emerging markets are in scope, and the fund measures itself against the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index.sec.gov
• Values are the product, not a bolt-on: the team screens out businesses that clash with its principles, then favors those it judges to be filling a real need. Same approach since the 2022 launch.oneascent.comoneascent.com 2

Worth knowing

• FEDM Thinly traded next to the category giants, so spreads can widen. Limit orders matter more here than with the household-name alternatives.
• The 0.12% is net of a waiver through March 1, 2027; the gross fee is 0.16%, so the discount depends on that waiver being extended.
• ESG and climate screens change what it owns versus a plain developed-ex-US index, so results can drift from the broad market in either direction.sec.gov

• OAIM Charges 0.95% with no fee waiver in place, above the category median. Index-built peers such as VSGX (0.10%) and ESGD (0.20%) sit far below that.
• Thinly traded next to the category's index giants, so spreads and trade timing carry more weight here.
• A concentrated, screened, actively run portfolio can look nothing like the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index in a given stretch, and payouts come once or twice a year, not quarterly.oneascent.com

Full FEDM profile⁠

Full OAIM profile⁠