Fund-vs-fund · International Equities
Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund vs Smart US ESG ETF
Both are International Equities 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.
What's different at a glance
- Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund charges 0.31% lower in annual fund charges (0.03% vs 0.34%).
- Both are New Zealand PIE funds — investor tax is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
- Smart US ESG ETF applies responsible-investment / ESG screening. The other fund does not.
Where each fund sits in its cohort
Percentile rank vs all 81 international equities funds we've matched on Sorted Smart Investor. Mechanical only — no opinion, no forward-looking view.
Annual fund charge
Lower is better
Foundation Series
0.03%
Lowest 1% of cohort
Smartshares
0.34%
Lowest 23% of cohort
5-year return p.a.
Past performance — not a predictor
Foundation Series
—
—
Smartshares
14.05%
Top 3% over 5 years
Fund size
Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
Foundation Series
NZ$42m
Lower half by size
Smartshares
NZ$39m
Lower half by size
| Metric | Foundation Series | Smartshares | Lower / higher is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fund charge | 0.03% | 0.34% | Lower is better |
| Risk indicator (1–7) | 6 | 5 | Higher = more volatility |
| 5-year return p.a. | — | 14.05% | Higher is better (past not future) |
| Fund size | NZ$42m | NZ$39m | Larger = more stable, lower close-risk |
| Growth / income split | 98% / 2% | 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 to NZD | — | Hedged smooths NZD/foreign FX moves at a small cost. |
| Responsible investment screening | No | Yes | 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
1
of each fund's top 10
Foundation Series weight in shared
0.3%
of Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund top 10 is shared
Smartshares weight in shared
0.5%
of Smart US ESG ETF top 10 is shared
| Holding | Foundation Series | Smartshares |
|---|---|---|
| $ Cash at Bank (BNZ) NZ | 0.34% | 0.45% |
"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
Foundation Series
Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund
The fund aims for high long-run returns by investing in an Exchange-Traded Fund ('ETF') that invests in shares of the largest companies listed on stock markets in the United States.Full Foundation Series Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund profile →
Smartshares
Smart US ESG ETF
The Smart US ESG ETF is designed to track the return (before tax, fees and other expenses) of the MSCI USA Screened Index. The Index is comprised of US companies screened for exposure to controversial weapons, civilian firearms, tobacco, thermal coal and oil sands. The Index excludes companies that fail to comply with the United Nations Global Compact Principles. For more information, please refer to the Smart Responsible Investment Policy.Full Smartshares Smart US ESG ETF profile →
Documents
Crawled directly from each manager's website. How we record provenance →
Foundation Series
LiveLast verified 2026-05-08
Smartshares
Common questions
What's the difference between the Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund and the Smart US ESG ETF?
Which fund has lower fees, Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund or Smart US ESG ETF?
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Does either fund apply responsible-investment screening?
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
