KOOL vs TACU

KOOLDNorth Shore Equity Rotation ETF

TACUAT. Rowe Price Active Core U.S. Equity ETF

In short

KOOL A sector-rotation fund that published its playbook: the prospectus names four business-cycle stages and the sectors KOOL tilts toward in each, from staples and utilities in a recession to tech and financials in an expansion.

TACU T. Rowe Price's quant-plus-fundamental take on core large-cap U.S. stock, benchmarked to the Russell 1000. Gross fee 0.14%, fully waived to zero through January 30, 2027.

Stated mandate

KOOL The Fund seeks to outperform the S&P 500 Index through investments across different equity-market sectors.

TACU The fund seeks long-term capital growth through a primarily U.S. equity portfolio. It combines quantitative models with fundamental, bottom-up analysis and seeks excess returns relative to the Russell 1000 Index.

Why people hold it

• KOOL The playbook is in writing. The prospectus names four cycle stages (recession, recovery, expansion, slowdown) and the sectors the fund leans into in each.sec.gov
• Views get expressed through both single stocks and sector ETFs, so one trade can shift a whole sleeve. The book stays concentrated, at roughly 40 positions.sec.gov
• The adviser reviews GDP, employment, consumer spending and inflation at least monthly, so the stage call runs on a set cadence rather than on headlines.sec.gov
• The mandate is global, not U.S.-only, so the rotation can reach foreign equities as well as domestic ones.sec.gov

• TACU Fee fully waived: 0.14% gross, zero net through January 30, 2027. That sits below every top-scoring peer in the category, including DFAU at 0.12% with no waiver.troweprice.com
• Quant models feed bottom-up stock picking with tilts to profitability, quality and value, chasing excess return over the Russell 1000 while holding tracking error tight.troweprice.com
• Several hundred large-cap names, so no single position runs the show. One of the stronger profiles in a crowded active U.S. equity field.troweprice.com

Worth knowing

• KOOL Pricier than most of the category: 0.93% net of a waiver through July 31, 2027, versus a 1.32% gross rate, while peers like DFAU at 0.12% and AVLC at 0.15% sit far below.
• Thinly traded and non-diversified, so spreads can bite on entry and exit and a handful of names can drive results.sec.gov
• Everything rides on the adviser's read of the cycle, and the prospectus notes the stages can repeat or arrive out of order.sec.gov

• TACU Launched in December 2025, so the live record is short and the risk read rests on limited history.
• Still a small fund that trades lightly, which can mean wider spreads than the category's giants.
• Distributions are annual at most, with no declared income target. This is a growth mandate, not a cash-flow one.

Full KOOL profile⁠

Full TACU profile⁠