Fund-vs-fund · Diversified
ACI Conservative Fund vs Fisher Funds Balanced Fund
Both are Diversified funds available to NZ retail investors. Numbers below are sourced from the FMA Disclose register via Sorted Smart Investor and reflect the latest published quarterly fund updates.
Why these two differ
The most material structural difference here is data availability: Fisher Funds Balanced Fund's latest Quarterly Fund Update is not reflected in our snapshot, meaning its fee, risk indicator, fund size, growth asset allocation, five-year return, and top holdings are all undisclosed on our side. Every comparison point that follows is therefore one-sided by necessity.
On the data that does exist, the ACI Conservative Fund discloses an annual fund charge of 1.50%, a risk indicator of 4 out of 7, a fund size of approximately NZD 4.39 million, and a growth asset allocation of 23.37% — consistent with a conservative positioning despite the risk indicator sitting at the midpoint of the scale. Its portfolio is concentrated in fixed-income vehicles, with Dimensional Global Bond Sustain Trust (AUD Class) alone accounting for 42.65% of the fund, followed by Dimensional Two Year Sustain Fixed Interest Trust at 18.77% and cash at BNZ at 8.41%. A sustainability screen is evident across its Dimensional building blocks. Five-year return data for the ACI Conservative Fund is also absent from our snapshot.
Fisher Funds Balanced Fund, by name and category, would ordinarily carry a materially higher growth-asset weighting than a conservative fund, but no QFU figures are available here to confirm that or to compare fees, returns, or portfolio composition directly.
Verify all figures against each fund's current Product Disclosure Statement and latest Quarterly Fund Update on FMA Disclose before relying on any of this information.
Comparison generated 2026-07-05 from each fund's FMA Disclose QFU facts as at that date. If the underlying facts change, this narrative is withheld until it is regenerated — the tables on this page always reflect the current data.
What's different at a glance
- Both are New Zealand PIE funds — investor tax is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
Where each fund sits in its cohort
Percentile rank vs all 67 diversified funds we've matched on Sorted Smart Investor. Mechanical only — no opinion, no forward-looking view.
Annual fund charge
Lower is better
ACI
1.50%
Highest 7% of cohort
Fisher Funds
—
—
5-year return p.a.
Past performance — not a predictor
ACI
—
—
Fisher Funds
—
—
Fund size
Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
ACI
NZ$4m
Smallest 10% in cohort
Fisher Funds
—
—
| Metric | ACI | Fisher Funds | Lower / higher is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fund charge | 1.50% | — | Lower is better |
| Risk indicator (1–7) | 4 | — | Higher = more volatility |
| 5-year return p.a. | — | — | Higher is better (past not future) |
| Fund size | NZ$4m | — | Larger = more stable, lower close-risk |
| Growth / income split | 23% / 77% | — | More growth = higher long-run return + volatility |
| NZ tax structure | PIE (PIR-capped) | PIE (PIR-capped) | PIE = simpler. FIF = annual return. |
| Currency hedging | — | — | Hedged smooths NZD/foreign FX moves at a small cost. |
| Responsible investment screening | No | No | Specific exclusions live in each fund's SIPO. |
| Available via | Direct | Direct | Platforms accepting retail subscriptions. |
What each fund says it does
ACI
ACI Conservative Fund
Exposure to asset classes is achieved by primarily investing in DFA Australia Limited (Dimensional) funds, utilising their Sustainability Trusts where available. The allocations include a bias towards international diversification. Certian underlying Dimensional funds have an increased exposure to shares in small companies, value companies and companies with higher profitability with the objective of benefitting from a premium return from these companies over time. Such premiums are not always present year on year, which can drive shorter term differences in retuFull ACI ACI Conservative Fund profile →
Fisher Funds
Fisher Funds Balanced Fund
Strategy summary not yet ingested.
Full Fisher Funds Fisher Funds Balanced Fund profile →Common questions
What's the difference between the ACI Conservative Fund and the Fisher Funds Balanced Fund?
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
