Fund-vs-fund · Diversified
Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund vs SBS Wealth Growth Strategy
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 between these two funds is their growth asset allocation. The SBS Wealth Growth Strategy holds 98.37% in growth assets, making it effectively an all-growth portfolio, while the Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund sits at 53.72% — a genuinely balanced split between growth and income assets. This gap is reflected directly in their risk indicators: SBS Wealth carries a risk indicator of 5 versus Booster's 4, both on the standard 1–7 scale used by FMA Disclose.
On fees, Booster's annual fund charge is 1.33% compared to SBS Wealth's 1.17%, a 16-basis-point difference in favour of SBS Wealth. The five-year return figures diverge substantially — SBS Wealth reports 7.39% per annum against Booster's 4.00% — though readers should weigh this against the differing risk profiles and the fact that past returns are not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Portfolio construction also differs fundamentally. Booster holds individual securities directly, with its top positions being NZ Cash, NVIDIA, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Apple, and Microsoft. SBS Wealth takes a fund-of-funds approach, with 36.68% in the Dimensional Global Sustainability PIE Fund (NZD Hedged) as its dominant holding, followed by Schroder, Dimensional Australian, Munro, and Kernel funds. Both funds sit in the Diversified category and both operate within KiwiSaver scheme accounts. Fund sizes are comparable: Booster at approximately NZD 427M and SBS Wealth at approximately NZD 477M.
Verify all figures against the source PDS 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
- SBS Wealth Growth Strategy charges 0.16% lower in annual fund charges (1.17% vs 1.33%).
- Both are New Zealand PIE funds — investor tax is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
- Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund applies responsible-investment / ESG screening. The other fund does not.
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
Booster
1.33%
Highest 20% of cohort
SBS Wealth
1.17%
Upper half of cohort
5-year return p.a.
Past performance — not a predictor
Booster
4.00%
Upper half over 5 years
SBS Wealth
7.39%
Top 5% over 5 years
Fund size
Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
Booster
NZ$427m
Largest 22% in cohort
SBS Wealth
NZ$477m
Largest 19% in cohort
| Metric | Booster | SBS Wealth | Lower / higher is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fund charge | 1.33% | 1.17% | Lower is better |
| Risk indicator (1–7) | 4 | 5 | Higher = more volatility |
| 5-year return p.a. | 4.00% | 7.39% | Higher is better (past not future) |
| Fund size | NZ$427m | NZ$477m | Larger = more stable, lower close-risk |
| Growth / income split | 54% / 46% | 98% / 2% | 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 | Yes | No | Specific exclusions live in each fund's SIPO. |
| Available via | Direct | Direct | Platforms accepting retail subscriptions. |
Portfolio overlap
How many top-10 positions both funds hold, and at what weight. Computed from each fund's most recently disclosed top-10 holdings — exact-name matched (Microsoft Corp. = Microsoft Corporation), with a Cash / Cash & Equivalents collapse rule.
Matching holdings
4
of each fund's top 10
Booster weight in shared
8.3%
of Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund top 10 is shared
SBS Wealth weight in shared
7.2%
of SBS Wealth Growth Strategy top 10 is shared
| Holding | Booster | SBS Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| NC NZ Cash (BNZ Bank Trust Account) NZ | 3.41% | 2.17% |
 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited NZ | 1.90% | 1.80% |
 NVIDIA Corp US | 1.95% | 1.66% |
 Infratil Limited NZ | 1.02% | 1.57% |
"Min weight" = the smaller of the two weights — a conservative read of how much exposure you'd have to that position if you held both funds.
What each fund says it does
Booster
Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund
The Socially Responsible Balanced Fund is suited to investors who seek a medium level of returns on average over medium term periods (five years plus), allowing for shorter-term ups and downs, whilst excluding investments which do not satisfy certain socially responsible investment criteria. We aim to achieve this by investing in a mix of income and growth assets, and the application of our Responsible Investment Policy.Full Booster Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund profile →
SBS Wealth
SBS Wealth Growth Strategy
The fund aims to provide investors with capital growth over the long-term, by investing primarily in a broad spread of Australasian and international equities, with a small amount held in cash.Full SBS Wealth SBS Wealth Growth Strategy profile →
Common questions
What's the difference between the Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund and the SBS Wealth Growth Strategy?
Which fund has lower fees, Booster Socially Responsible Balanced Fund or SBS Wealth Growth Strategy?
How do the 5-year returns compare?
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Does either fund apply responsible-investment screening?
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
